Crews rescued after boats sink

Crews rescued after boats sink

A coastguard helicopter took one crew to Orkney

The crews of two Scottish fishing boats have been rescued after their vessels got into difficulty within hours of each other.

Five fishermen were taken to safety after abandoning their sinking vessel about 40 miles north-west of the Orkney Islands on Saturday afternoon.

A second vessel capsized off the Norwegian coast about eight hours later.

The five crew members on board the Kirkcaldy-registered Arktos II were rescued from their life raft by another vessel.

Mayday call

The crew of the Buckie-registered Onwards sent out a mayday distress call shortly before 1500 GMT after the boat began taking in water.

They took to their life raft and were rescued by another fishing vessel, the Shalamar, which responded to the mayday call.

The Stromness lifeboat and a coastguard helicopter from Shetland were also scrambled to the scene.

There are no reports of any injuries

Coastguard spokesman

The coastguard spokesman said the helicopter took the men, who were not thought to be injured, to Kirkwall on Orkney.

The Arktos II began sinking about 75 miles south east of Stavanger at about 2300 GMT.

Another ship rescued the crew from their life raft and a Royal Norwegian Air Force helicopter took the five men to dry land.

A coastguard spokesman said: "At 2325 we received a call from Stavanger, where they were being taken.

"There are no reports of any injuries."

He added that weather conditions had been moderate at the time of both incidents.