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Fishing boat sinks off Western Isles Fishing boat sinks off Western Isles
(35 minutes later)
Three crew members are missing and one has been flown to hospital after a fishing boat sank off the Western Isles of Scotland. The bodies of two crew members have been found after a boat sank off the Western Isles of Scotland, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has said.
The UK Coastguard received a distress alert just before 3.45am on Saturday, and the vessel’s emergency positioning beacon was activated near Mingulay. Of the other two crew, one fisherman was still missing and another had been airlifted to hospital, the MCA said.
The vessel went down with four crew on board, but one was rescued and flown by helicopter to the Western Isles hospital in Stornoway. An RNLI spokesman said the man was understood to be “doing quite well”. Ch Insp Alastair Garrow, of Police Scotland, said: “At this time we can confirm that the bodies of two men have been recovered. A third man was rescued and was taken to hospital at Stornoway. He is not seriously injured. A fourth man was on the boat and is still missing.”
Mark Rodaway, the national maritime operations commander for the UK Coastguard, said: “Despite an intensive search including the helicopters, lifeboat and other fishing vessels in the area, we have been unable to locate the missing fisherman. Our thoughts are with all those involved. The next of kin of all the men have been informed.”
An investigation would be carried out with the police and the Marine Accident and Investigation Branch (MAIB), the UK Coastguard said.
It received a distress alert just before 3.45am on Saturday, and the vessel’s emergency positioning beacon was activated near Mingulay.
A lifeboat from the RNLI station in Barra and a rescue helicopter based at Stornoway were continuing to search for the three missing crew, authorities said.A lifeboat from the RNLI station in Barra and a rescue helicopter based at Stornoway were continuing to search for the three missing crew, authorities said.
A Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokeswoman said the vessel went down in relatively calm weather. An MCA spokeswoman said the vessel, which has not been named, went down in relatively calm weather.
“The UK Coastguard received a distress alert just before 3.45 this morning when the fishing vessel’s emergency positioning beacon was activated,” she said.
Search authorities did not know the name of the vessel.