Three fishermen winched to helicopter after boat catches fire

Three fishermen have been winched to safety after their boat caught fire about 40 miles off the Cornish coast.

The coastguard received a mayday broadcast from the fishing boat just before 1pm on Wednesday.

There were five crew members on board the boat, which was about 37 nautical miles off Newlyn.

They managed to extinguish the fire, thought to have been in the engine room, but several were reported to be suffering from smoke inhalation.

The coastguard search and rescue helicopter based in Newquay and the Lizard RNLI lifeboat were sent to the boat.

Three of the crew were winched off the fishing vessel to the helicopter and transferred to hospital.

Steve Mann, of the UK Coastguard, said: "Fortunately the crew were able to extinguish the fire, they were also able to contact the coastguard when they needed assistance.

"This is another example why it is so important to make sure that you have appropriate safety equipment on board and several means of contacting the coastguard if the worst should happen."

Following the rescue, the fishing boat and remaining crew made their way to Newlyn, escorted by the Lizard lifeboat.