An inquest into the death of a fisherman in Monday's fatal ferry collision has been told there was nothing anyone could have done to save the father-of-four.

Frenchman Philippe Lesaulnier died after the boat he was travelling on was torn apart by the huge Condor Vitesse in a devastating accident.

The 42-year-old's family are in Jersey to accompany his body on his final journey home.

Meanwhile, Islanders have been paying tribute to the 'well respected' fisherman.

It has already been announced that Mr Lesaulnier drowned following an injury to his chest.

Renaud Gaudeul, the French prosecutor who is leading the country's investigation into the incident, revealed the information.

Father-of-four Mr Lesaulnier was killed when the boat he was skippering and the Condor Vitesse collided in thick fog near the Minquiers.

An autopsy on 42-year-old Mr Lesaulnier showed the fisherman died from drowning following an injury to his thorax - the neck to diaphragm area.

Granville prosecutor Gaudeul has also announced that his investigation into the tragedy has so far found that the ferry's speed was 'considerable but not abnormal' and that the impact of the collision was 'extremely violent'.

Mr Lesaulnier's two fisherman colleagues survived the crash by clinging onto wreckage from the fishingboat, called Les Marquises, which was ripped apart by the force of the impact.

The Condor Vitesse ferry has been in Portsmouth for repairs after the collision and it has been announced that it will be back in service from tomorrow (Friday). All Condor bookings that were closed have now been reopened.

It has been announced that a fund has been started for Mr Lesaulnier's family.

The collection has been organised by Jersey firm The Fresh Fish Company, who have organised a collection tin at their trailer over this weekend at Victoria Pier at the end of Commercial Buildings.

Condor have announced that the captain of the Vitesse has been taken off active duty, but has not been suspended.

A spokesperson for Condor said: "The Captain and Chief Officer, who were on board the ship, are not performing any operational duties. Both officers are assisting the company in its investigation into the incident and its causes. They also need to be available to assist the authorities."

A joint investigation is being carried out between French and Jersey Police to try and establish the answers to widely asked questions - how was an accident like this able to happen?

Was the ferry going too fast? Was their fog horn being sounded regularly enough? And did the fishing boat have a radar deflector to alert other boats of their whereabouts?



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Condor Ferries face an anxious wait while that investigation takes place - and they have also revealed that they are conducting their own internal investigation.

The debris of the fisherman's boat, hit by the Condor Ferry, was brought back to France on Tuesday.

The team involved in driving the ferry will not go back to work until after the investigation.

Simon Edsall, Managing Director of Condor Ferries said: "The Bridge team have been excused duties as it were. Obviously the events of yesterday are fairly shocking for them and obviously their minds are with the family of the deceased fisherman, and they won't go back to work until such time as we're comfortable that they're ready to do so."

Until the investigation is completed, speculation continues. We are told it is likely to take weeks rather than days.

The Vitesse was on route from St Malo to Jersey when the collision happened with the French fishing boat, at just before 8am on Monday morning.

Passengers on board the Vitesse described scenes of "panic" after a loud bang when they hit the fishing boat.

Tim and Marina Prevel, from Guernsey, were on board. Tim said: "There was an almighty bang when the ferry hit the boat. I wouldn't want to go through that again - everyone started panicking that the ferry would sink; that's what you think is going to happen".

Marina said: "We saw the fishermen in the water and they were screaming for help. It was horrible and very scary".

The Captain of the Vitesse called for medical assistance from the passengers and a nurse offered their services. The third man was resuscitated but died.

At the time of the collision reports say that visibility was down to just 30 metres.

Jersey Police said: "The incident occurred northwest of Chausey (French waters) and is being dealt with by the French authorities at this time.

"It is believed that all persons have been accounted for from both boats and that three persons from the French fishing vessel were recovered from the water although the extent of any injuries to those casualties is still being established.

"There are no reported casualties from the Condor Vitesse."