Search for seven crewmen continues

An international rescue operation is continuing off the Donegal coast for seven men missing after their trawler sank.

Nine people were airlifted to safety by helicopter after the German registered trawler Hansa went down 100 miles off the coast of Donegal.

Sixteen crew members were on board the vessel which issued an urgent distress signal picked up by Falmouth coastguard at 11.10pm yesterday.

Falmouth alerted Clyde Coastguard in Scotland and a Canadian Aurora aircraft, on exercise in the area at the time, was sent to the scene and was later joined by RAF helicopters from Kinloss and Prestwick.

Several life rafts were dropped in the water and the nine men were picked up.

Rescuers were this morning hoping the missing seven crewmen were together on a life raft in the icy water, increasing their chances of survival.

RAF spokesman Michael Mulford said one raft was missing from the trawler and all the crew had survival suits.

If they were in the sea they were unlikely to have survived.

He said there were 30ft waves in the Atlantic.

Mr Mulford added: "It will be unpleasant, cold and wet, but if they are together in the raft then it is survivable.

"However, they would not survive terribly long if they were in the water.

"We have to be realistic though and the key is to find out where the life raft is.

"If it went down with the ship then they are unlikely to have survived."

The nine rescued crewmen were this morning at a military reception centre on Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides.

They were expected to be moved to hospital in Stornaway on nearby Lewis later today.

Mr Mulford said: "The men were mildly hypothermic, but miraculously unscathed."

He said two Nimrod aircraft from Kinloss and a helicopter from Shannon had joined the search.

A coastguard helicopter was also due to return to the scene.

Four merchant vessels, three from Norway and one British ship were also involved.

Sixteen people - one German and 15 Spanish nationals - were on board the vessel, which had originally sailed from the Spanish port of La Coruna.

John Griffiths, district controller at Clyde coastguard, said: "Investigations are continuing with the rescue co-ordination centres in Madrid and Bremen as the vessel had originally sailed from Spain".