Nine fishermen airlifted to safety
Saturday, 19 January 2008
Nine Spanish fishermen have been airlifted to safety after a fire on a fishing vessel off the northwest coast.
Seven others have remained on board the British-registered 'The Shark' to fight the fire, which is in the galley area of the vessel.
A lifeboat from Arranmore remains at the scene, and the naval vessel, the LE Eithne was due to arrive at the location at 5pm.
The Coastguard helicopter in Sligo has airlifted the non-essential crew to Carrickfin Airport in Donegal.
No one has been injured.
The alarm was raised at 12.30pm, when the Clyde Coastguard in Scotland received a telephone call from the Coastguard in Madrid, requesting urgent assistance.
All the crew on board are Spanish, and the skipper's command of English was limited and required an interpreter service.
Later, a navy fire-fighting team has extinguished the fire on board a fishing vessel off the Co Donegal coast.
The seven-man team from the LE Eithne went aboard "The Shark" at around 6.10pm. Five further crewmen were evacuated to the nearby lifeboat.
- Six One News: Watch the report
- Nine News: Watch the report
