THE crew of a French fishing boat off the north coast of Cornwall had to be airlifted to safety last night.
Five men were rescued from the boat and one had to be pulled from the water in the darkness.
NavyRescue
Five of the men were airlifted to safety by a Navy helicopter
Their boat, Le Sillon, was damaged by huge waves yesterday afternoon and lost power off Trevose Head.
Falmouth Coastguard was first contacted just before 4pm by coastguards in France.
A spokesman said: “They reported that the boat had been hit by a number of large waves and they had lost power and steering. “They were drifting approximately 5 miles off Trevose Head. The wind at the time was gusting up to 60 mph.
“The RNLI all-weather lifeboat from Padstow, along with the search and rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose were sent to the scene.
“Five of the crew were picked up by the Royal Navy helicopter and the other crew member was recovered by the lifeboat. There are no reported injuries.”
Martin Bidmead, the watch manager at Falmouth Coastguard, said: “Attempts have been made to bring Le Sillon under tow, but conditions were been too difficult.” He said the boat was left adrift and was being monitored. It is understood this morning that the boat is now undertow by the RNLI and being brought into Porthcothan.
Read more: http://www.westbriton.co.uk/French-fishermen-rescued-stricken-boat-north/story-20545376-detail/story.html#ixzz2s9fdEPQ6
Falmouth Coastguard was first contacted just before 4pm by coastguards in France.
A spokesman said: “They reported that the boat had been hit by a number of large waves and they had lost power and steering. “They were drifting approximately 5 miles off Trevose Head. The wind at the time was gusting up to 60 mph.
Martin Bidmead, the watch manager at Falmouth Coastguard, said: “Attempts have been made to bring Le Sillon under tow, but conditions were been too difficult.” He said the boat was left adrift and was being monitored. It is understood this morning that the boat is now undertow by the RNLI and being brought into Porthcothan.
Read more: http://www.westbriton.co.uk/French-fishermen-rescued-stricken-boat-north/story-20545376-detail/story.html#ixzz2s9fdEPQ6
