News / Fishermen rescued
THE NEW Sumburgh-based coastguard rescue helicopter was scrambled on Friday morning after a creel boat struck rocks off the Orkney isle of Eday.
The three local fishermen on board alerted the coastguard at 8.25am before climbing into their liferaft and abandoning the Lady K, an 8.5 metre Cygnus Cyclone.
The helicopter arrived at 9.10am at the same time as the local ferry Earl Sigurd, who took the men on board.
The chopper crew stood by to ensure the men were dry, safe and well and the ferry took the men to Westray where they lived.
Meanwhile the Lady K had come off the rocks and was drifting in Eday Sound where it is floating stern down.
It is currently being monitored by the Kirkwall lifeboat, which plans to tow it to the pier at Eday.
The cause of the incident is not yet known.
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