One of the six fishermen rescued after spending eight days adrift at sea has died before he could be reunited with his family.

The Ministry of Defence on Wednesday confirmed that 66-year-old Trinidadian ship captain Anthony Murray died aboard the merchant vessel MV Marvel Kite hours after he and the other survivors were rescued from a life raft following the destruction of their fishing vessel, ST Vincent VII.

According to the ministry, Murray began experiencing shallow breathing after the rescue. Although he initially appeared stable and showed no signs of pain or discomfort, the crew of the MV Marvel Kite later reported that he became unresponsive while the vessel was en route to St Lucia for a planned rendezvous with Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard vessel CG25.