One of the two sailors missing after a barge capsized in the Westerschelde estuary on Thursday night was pulled from the water on Friday.

He is thought to have been trapped in the barge when it rolled over while being loaded with sand, news agency ANP reports. The two men were below decks asleep when the accident happened.

Divers found one of them earlier on Friday, but it is not known if he was able to free himself from the barge or whether the divers had pulled him from the hull.

A spokesman from the coast guard said he was able to stay alive in an air bubble in the hull of the barge.

The second man is still missing and rescuers say there is little hope he is still alive. The third man was rescued soon after the accident, which happened around midnight on Thursday.