Body found in search for missing kayaker

The body of a woman believed to be a missing kayaker was found in the sea tonight, two days after she disappeared in rough conditions off the coast of north Wales. Elizabeth Ashbee, 53, became separated from four fellow kayakers on Sunday evening off the coast of Anglesey, north Wales. Search and rescue teams had found her red Avocet kayak earlier today, some 20 miles from where she vanished. The body was awaiting formal identification. Ashbee, a mother-of-two, went missing in difficult rocky waters at Ynys Feurig, or Starvation Island, close to Rhosneigr on Anglesey. The experienced kayaker had been paddling with fellow members of Shrewsbury canoe club when the group were beset by bad weather. Ashbee was last seen at around 2.30pm on Sunday afternoon by friends as she negotiated rocks near Rhosneigr. The four other kayakers were washed up on a rough coastline and had to haul their kayaks up a cliff before hitchhiking back to their base and raising the alarm at around 6.30pm. Holyhead RNLI and two RAF helicopters, a North Wales police helicopter and coastguard teams from Aberdaron, Porth Dinllaen and Llandwrog scoured 60 sq miles of sea and coastline for Ashbee, who is believed to have entered the water wearing a drysuit and buoyancy aid. The search was suspended yesterday night but resumed today after her kayak was found on the beach at Morfa Nefyn on north Wales's Lleyn peninsula, nearly 20 miles from where Ashbee vanished. A body was later recovered from the sea by rescue helicopter near the same peninsula at around 5.15pm, the Shropshire Star reported . A spokesman for the coastguard said: "The search for a missing female kayaker has been called off after the body of a woman was found in the sea off the Lleyn peninsula this evening."