Oban lifeboat rescues four clinging to upturned dinghy
- Published
The RNLI Oban all-weather lifeboat rescued the three men and one woman - who was hypothermic
The Oban lifeboat has rescued four people who were found clinging to their upturned dinghy in Argyll and Bute.
A passing yacht spotted the group in difficulty north of the Isle of Lismore at about 19:15 on Saturday and raised the alarm.
The three men and one woman were not wearing lifejackets and had been unable to call for help as they had no radio and their phones were submerged.
The Oban RNLI all-weather lifeboat was deployed and rescued the four.
The woman was hypothermic by that stage after being in the water for about about 30 minutes.
The R199 coastguard helicopter from Prestwick also went to the scene and a paramedic was winched down to check the group over before deeming they were fit to travel to Oban by lifeboat.
A coastguard spokesman said: "They had rowed out fishing but their vessel tipped over and they ended up in the water.
"They were not that far offshore but they could not make it back and were desperately clinging to the upturned dinghy.
"It was lucky the yacht came by when it did otherwise it could have been a different outcome."
The capsized vessel was a 14ft fibreglass dinghy.
One of the men suffered a knock to the head during the incident and the woman was hypothermic.
They were back on the mainland by 21:20 and were passed into the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service.