Ferry crew rescue man overboard

CREW on a high-speed ferry made a dramatic rescue last night after a man fell overboard.

The operation swung into action after the passenger travelling on the P&O ferry fell into the sea about 20 miles from Troon.

The alarm was raised at about 7pm after fellow passengers looked on in horror as the man appeared to fall from the deck.

The ferry from Larne, in Northern Ireland, to Troon, Ayrshire, was sailing past Ailsa Craig, an island in the outer Firth of Clyde, when the accident happened.

The ship, the P&O Express which can hold up to 868 passengers, launched its on-board "fast rescue craft" to find the man, who fell from the passenger deck.

The ship's captain slowed the ferry and made an emergency call to Clyde Coastguard.

A Royal Navy rescue helicopter from Prestwick was scrambled and the Girvan RNLI lifeboat launched.

The passenger was pulled from the water and transferred back to the ferry where he received medical attention from doctors.

He was later taken by ambulance to Ayr Hospital after the ferry docked in Troon.

A spokesman for P&O Irish Sea said: "The man has no serious medical injuries."