FIVE crew had to be rescued from a life raft after two fishing vessels collided off the coast of Co Down.
Newcastle Lifeboat was launched at 5.30am when the coastguard received a mayday call shortly after the boats collided eight miles south of Ardglass.
One of the trawlers is said to have sank within 10 minutes of the accident. Its crew were taken on board the second boat, which has been escorted back to Arglass harbour by the RNLI vessel.
An RNLI spokesman said that the Eleanor and Bryant Girling lifeboat had conducted the rescue operation.
After escorting the surviving boat back to shore, Newcastle RNLI then returned to the scene to recover an unmanned life raft that could otherwise have been reported as a marine emergency or caused an obstruction.
Newcastle RNLI Coxswain Richard Herron said: "You fear the worst when you get a callout for the lifeboat at such an early hour. Every second counts when a vessel is sinking and your only thought is getting to the scene as quickly as possible.
"Thankfully another vessel nearby managed to get the five crew safely onboard from their deployed life raft and we were able to ascertain that there were no serious injuries. The crew had a lucky escape but they were prepared for it by wearing their lifejackets and raising the alarm quickly."
Sinn Fein assembly member Chris Hazzard has expressed relief that no one had been hurt and said the incident highlighted the dangers faced by the north's fishing fleets on a daily basis, adding: "I would also pay tribute to the crew of the Newcastle lifeboat who responded to this incident and helped bring both crews safely to shore."
