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Eight people rescued from sinking fishing boat

Eight people rescued from sinking fishing boat

Eight people have been rescued by helicopter after their fishing boat sank near Shetland.

The crew boarded two emergency rafts after the vessel started taking in water around 05:00 on Sunday.

An HM Coastguard rescue helicopter from Shetland and a Norwegian rescue helicopter were sent to the site 36 nautical miles (66km) east of Bressay.

The coastguard said the crew were flown to Sumburgh airport and are safe and well.

Lifeboat crew member gathering life raft
Life rafts were retrieved from the scene after the rescue

The 27-metre boat sank quickly, but the eight crew members had time to activate their "DSC" maritime distress signal, giving their exact location.

At the time, winds were northerly, Force 6-7, with an air temperature of around five degrees celsius.

Several vessels in the area also offered their assistance to the crew.

The RNLI Lerwick Lifeboat was also launched and attended the scene to recover the life rafts and alert beacons.

Stephen Manson, Lerwick Lifeboat coxswain, said: "We're pleased that all crew were safely recovered by helicopter, given the cold sea temperature and rough sea conditions.

"The fishing vessel was well-equipped and their distress beacon gave their exact location for the rescue response.