A TEAM OF workers managed to save a huge consignment of live crabs which escaped from a truck into a Co Donegal field after it ditched yesterday morning.

A haul of up to 15,000 crabs worth an estimated €60,000 were rescued after they spilled from aluminium containers while in transit.

The crab were bound for shops and restaurants in Portugal when the accident occurred at Carrickmaquigley, Redcastle around 7:30am yesterday.

Donegal County Council immediately closed the road to allow for a massive recovery operation which lasted up to 18 hours on the R238 road between Quigley’s Point and Moville.

The driver of the lorry was not injured following the single vehicle accident.

The crab had been caught by local fishermen around Inishowen.

Odhran McLaughlin, of McLaughlin’s Light and Heavy Recovery Services of Burnfoot, told how they were contracted to reload the container and to recover the vehicle.

He estimated they managed to save up to 95% of the crabs.

Huge nightlights had to be installed to allow workers to sift through the crabs and to bag them.

A hydraulic crane also had to be brought on site to get the lorry cab and then its container back onto the road.

McLaughlin added it was one of the more unusual call-outs they have had.

He said “It was a very unusual scene to say the least. When we arrived a lot of the crabs had spilled out of their containers and were making a bid for freedom into the fields.

“A team of up to ten of us had to physically retrieve the crabs and put them into large bags and reload them onto the truck. It took a good few hours to fill the bags.

“It was a long job but it was great to be able to save up to ninety five per cent of them.

“Once all the crabs were recovered and bagged, they were loaded back onto the truck and sent onwards to Portugal.”