A man has died after being pulled from the water off the Galway coast.

The alarm was raised after a small fishing vessel was found running – but empty – near Oranmore yesterday afternoon.

The fisherman, thought to be in his 40s, was found last evening was found at around 6.30pm by the Aran Islands lifeboat following a massive search operation.

He was believed to have been in the water for several hours.

He was rushed to University Hospital Galway, where he has since passed away.