Three people rescued from sinking fishing vessel

Lough Swilly lifeboat was among the vessels involved in the rescue operation

Three people have been rescued after their fishing vessel began taking on water off the coast of County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.

Shortly before 8:00 local time on Wednesday, a mayday call was received by Malin Head coastguard, the Department of Transport has said.

A nearby fishing vessel responded to the distress call near Glengad and successfully rescued all three individuals from the stricken boat.

Greencastle coastguard, the Sligo-based coastguard helicopter rescue 118 and the Lough Swilly RNLI were all dispatched to the scene.

In a post on social media, Lough Swilly RNLI said the vessel had already sunk and its three crew had been recovered from a life raft by a nearby fishing boat.

They were then transferred to the Greencastle coastguard boat and brought to Bunagee Pier, where they were assessed by an ambulance crew.