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Five crew have been airlifted off a sinking fishing boat.

 

The Irish-flagged MFV Iuda Naofa started taking on water while fishing for mackerel some 48 miles north of the Butt of Lewis this morning.

 

The skipper of the 23 metre long trawler radioed for help.

 

Coastguards were notified of a fishing vessel in distress off the island of Rona around 10.50am.

 

Stornoway coastguard rescue helicopter flew to the scene and dropped a salvage pump onto the Iuda Naofa to try and control the water coming inboard.

 

However, the vessel became swamped and has now sunk.

Five fishermen rescued from sinking trawler

20 January 2015

The helicopter airlifted two of the crew onto the nearby fishing vessel, the MFV Star of Hope.

 

The other three crew were in the sea and were transferred by helicopter to the Western Isles hospital in Stornoway at 1pm where they were treated for mild hypothermia.

 

Coastguard watch manager, Paul Tunstall, said: “The weather conditions on scene were very rough seas with southerly force 6 winds.

 

“Evacuating the five crew swiftly and safely before the vessel went down was a great achievement.”