Seven crew rescued after fishing boats collide off Lewis

The rescued crew are on another fishing boat headed for the Faroe Islands

Seven crew members have been rescued after their fishing boat sank following a collision off the Western Isles.

The coastguard said the boat collided with another fishing boat operating nearby, which then rescued the crew.

Stornoway Coastguard in Lewis was alerted to the incident, which happened about 100 miles (161km) north of the Butt of Lewis, just after 05:00.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said Faroese boats were involved in the collision.

The crew, who were reported to be shaken but otherwise unharmed, are being taken to the Faroe Islands.

A coastguard spokeswoman said: "Seven fishing crew were rescued by their sister vessel this morning after the two vessels collided.

"HM Coastguard was alerted by the vessel's emergency beacon being set off just after 05:00 and had rescue resources including the search and rescue helicopter from Stornoway ready in case they were needed."

The MAIB said it was not investigating the incident, but had made its counterparts in Denmark aware.