Rescuers Seek Crew from Wrecked Fishing Boat in South Atlantic

AFP/APP

London: Rescuers managed Tuesday to save some of the 27 crew members who abandoned a flooded fishing vessel in bad weather in the South Atlantic, the Falkland Islands government said.

Spanish and Argentinian media reported that at least six crew members died, but the Falklands government did not confirm those reports late Tuesday, while rescue efforts were ongoing.

The crew members abandoned the Argos Georgia vessel after “uncontrolled flooding” shortly after 4:00 pm local time (1900 GMT) Monday and took to life rafts, the government of the British overseas territory said.

In a new statement on Tuesday, it said a British forces vessel and two fishing boats “have been able to rescue a number of the crew members.” Those rescued will be taken to the Falklands to be examined in hospital, it added.

“The search continues for the missing crew members. The search and rescue will continue throughout the night and the safety of all those involved is paramount.”

The vessel was roughly 200 nautical miles east of the Falkland Islands capital Stanley at the time, the government said. The crew included 10 Spanish citizens, according to a delegate from the regional government of Galicia, in northwest Spain.

Two British Royal Air Force planes had been tracking and reporting the position of the life rafts, while several maritime vessels took part in the search operations, the earlier Falklands statement read.

A search and rescue helicopter that initially attempted to rescue some of the stricken crew members from the scene late Monday had failed amid “extremely challenging weather conditions and very limited time on scene due to range.”

Robert Ervik, the owner of the Argos Georgia, confirmed to AFP that 27 people were aboard when it began to take on water Monday.

He said he believed all 27 had made it onto life rafts but could not confirm whether the vessel — which flies the flag of Saint Helena, another British overseas territory in the South Atlantic — had sunk.

The boat, built in 2018 in Turkey, is nearly 54 meters (177 feet) long and can accommodate 28 people, according to its British-Norwegian fishing firm owners, Argos Froyanes.