SIX MEN ON a fishing boat were rescued off Donegal coast in the early hours of this morning.
The boat was rapidly taking in water when Lough Swilly RNLI were called out.
Malin Head Coast Guard raised the alarm at 3:15am and reported the boat two miles north of Dunree Head.
The Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118 from Sligo was also called.
When the two lifeboats arrived on the scene – all six crew on the stricken vessel were wearing lifejackets and survival suits and they had prepared their life raft for deployment.
Three RNLI crew from the all-weather lifeboat were transferred to the fishing vessel.
Using a salvage pump they started to pump water from the boat and continued for over an hour.
Once the boat was stabilised, the lifeboat escorted the vessel safely back to shore at Rathmullun where it arrived at 7am this morning.
Following the four hour operation, Mark Barnett, Lough Swilly RNLI Coxswain said: “The six fishermen deserve to be commended for their quick actions in the early hours of this morning. They called for help once they got into difficulty and had their life raft ready if needed in an emergency.
The boat had taken on a considerable amount of water but thankfully our crew was able to assist and avoid the vessel from sinking and assist the men safely back to shore.
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