Navy captain overboard in Antarctica

A Spanish navy captain has died in Antarctica after accidentally falling into the sea from a polar research vessel.

Javier Montojo Salazar disappeared from on board the Hesperides near the Juan Carlos I base on Livingston Island on Friday, the Spanish navy said on Saturday.

His body was found after a six-hour search and was being taken to Ushuaia in southern Argentina from where it was to be repatriated to Spain.

The exact circumstances of the incident were unclear.

The Hesperides is a key element of Spain's polar research program and has been ferrying material and personnel to its bases in the area for almost three decades.