Two bodies have been found close to where fishing boat L’Ecume II sank off the coast of Jersey last week, police have said.

A major search and rescue operation was launched after a ship called the Commodore Goodwill collided with the fishing vessel at around 5.30am last Thursday.

All three people on board – skipper Michael Michieli and crew Larry Simyunn and Jervis Baligat – died.

The States of Jersey Police confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that two bodies have been discovered near the wreckage.

Recovery work had been ongoing since Sunday morning to locate the bodies of the three sailors.

In a statement, the force said: “The States of Jersey Police can confirm that two bodies have been located in the area of L’Ecume II.

“The search and recovery operation is ongoing and will continue while the weather permits.

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“Family members continue to be supported by specially trained police family liaison officers.”

On Sunday, a large offshore support vessel commissioned by Ports of Jersey began using an underwater robot to conduct a detailed search of the collision site.

A maritime exclusion zone is in place for the collision site and surrounding area.

A spokesperson for the Ports of Jersey said on Monday that two parallel investigations into the collision are continuing and likely to take several weeks to complete.

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