SEARCH and rescue teams have been scrambled to help trace a person who fell overboard from a vessel in the North Sea.
HM Coastguard received a distress alert at around 8.15am on Thursday from the vessel around 40 miles north-east of Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire.
An oil and gas industry rescue helicopter from Aberdeen is also supporting the search.
Rescue crews were still searching for the person as of around 3.10pm on Thursday.
A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “An HM Coastguard rescue helicopter, a fixed-wing Coastguard aircraft, nearby vessels, and RNLI Fraserburgh and Peterhead lifeboats have been called to assist in the search for a person overboard from a vessel in the North Sea.
“An oil and gas industry rescue helicopter from Aberdeen is also supporting.
“The alarm was raised at around 8.15am this morning, after HM Coastguard received a distress alert from the vessel around 35 nautical miles north-east of Fraserburgh.
“The search is ongoing.”