Lough Swilly RNLI saved the men off the Donegai coast in the early hours of Monday morning
Six men were rescued from a sinking fishing
boat off the coast of Ireland in the early hours of Monday morning after the
vessel began taking on water.
A volunteer lifeboat crew from Lough Swilly
RNLI went to the aid of the group at 3.15am, two miles north of Dunree Head.
The Irish Coast Guard helicopter was also
drafted in to help, along with a nearby fishing boat that was ready to offer
assistance.
On arrival at the scene, rescue crews
spotted the vessel lifting badly and rapidly taking on water.
The men onboard were all wearing
lifejackets and survival suits and had prepared their life raft for deployment.
Three RNLI crew members were transferred to
the fishing boat and began using a salvage pump to in order to remove water
from the vessel.
Once stabilised, the lifeboat escorted the fishing
vessel safely back to shore at Rathmullun.
Lough Swilly RNLI coxswain Mark Barnett,
said: “The six fishermen deserve to be commended for their quick actions in the
early hours of this morning.
“They called for help once they got into
difficulty and had their life raft ready if needed in an emergency.
“The boat had taken on a considerable
amount of water but thankfully our crew was able to assist and void the vessel
from sinking and assist the men safely back to shore.”
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