RNLI: Sinking fishing boat's crew 'saved by locator beacon'

The lifeboat crew from Portrush were called out just before 14:00 on Sunday

Four men rescued from a fishing boat that sank in Lough Foyle were saved by a personal locator beacon (PLB), rescuers have said.

One of the crew was able to activate a PLB as their 30-foot vessel overturned in the lough on Sunday afternoon.

The crew were recovered from the water by the Greencastle Coast Guard unit just before 15:30 GMT.

"The casualties are believed to be in good spirits following their ordeal," a coastguard spokesman said.

The Irish Coast Guard, Portrush RNLI lifeboat and Sligo-based Rescue 118 helicopter were all involved in the operation.

In a Facebook post, Greencastle Coast Guard said "four men are going home to their families because there was a PLB activated on one of the lifejackets".

They added: "One small piece of equipment saved four lives".

'Great outcome'

Carl Kennedy of Portrush RNLI said the rescue had been a "great outcome".

"All crews involved worked well to recover the casualties and we are delighted that we were able to report a good outcome due to the personal locator beacon being activated," he said.

Its crew launched at 13:55 and arrived on scene at 14:40.

The casualties were located at 15:25 and were recovered by Greencastle Coast Guard, transferred to the all-weather life boat and then winched onboard Rescue 118, the RNLI said.

RNLI water safety education manager Killian O'Kelly said the role of the PLB in the rescue cannot be underestimated.

It means lifeboats can "home in on the device once they get closer," he said.

He added: "As a beacon is a recognised way of calling for help, you can rely on an immediate reaction from the coastguard".