Fifteen crew members on a large Spanish trawler fishing off the south west coast of Ireland were rescued from a blazing boat as it went down in heavy seas yesterday.
The crew of the Nuevo San Juan, out of the northern Spanish port of Burela sent out a distress call shortly after 7am yesterday morning, according to reports in the Spanish media.
The Marine Rescue co-ordination centre at Finisterre in northern Spain relayed the mayday to all vessels in the area and put maritime patrol vessels on alert.
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CorkBeo reported that another Spanish trawler sailing nearby, the Nuevo Confurco, was able to get close to the burning trawler, as a fire spread from the engine room, and take on the 15-strong crew who had been fishing for hake.
The rescue boat then set out for Castletownbere - and the sailors were landed there this morning at around 7am after a 22-hour trip from the fishing grounds off the southwest coast.
All crew members are said to be in good shape and two lifeboats were also recovered from the water. The crew watched as their trawler was engulfed in flames and sank.
A spokesperson for the owners of the Spanish trawler told local media; "Most importantly, we did not lose any human lives, because the 15 crew members were rescued unharmed."
The cause of the blaze has not been established but reports from the crew say a possible electrical fault in the engine room could have sparked the blaze. A full investigation will now be carried out.
The crew are being cared for in Castletownbere this morning and are expected to make their way back to Northern Spain later today or tomorrow.
