Seven crew members rescued from sinking fishing boat after crash

Seven crew members were rescued from a fishing boat that was involved in a collision off the Western Isles.

Rescue services received a mayday call from the vessel at around 5am on Thursday, after it got into difficulty 100 miles off the Butt of Lewis.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said the vessel was involved in a collision with Faroese boats.

The crew were rescued from a nearby fishing boat and are being taken to the Faroe Islands.

The Coastguard said that they were “shaken but otherwise unharmed”.

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A spokesman for Stornoway Coastguard said: “We received a call of a satellite distress from a fishing vessel at 5am this morning.

“The vessel was 100 miles north to north-west of the Butt of Lewis. We later found out that the vessel had sunk.

“The seven crew members on board were rescued by a sister vessel.

“They are reportedly in shock and a bit shaken but otherwise unharmed.”

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