One dead, one missing off Scottish coast after two men go overboard

One fishermen has died and another is missing in separate incidents off the Scottish coast.

In the first on Saturday a man was lost overboard from a fishing vessel working near the Muckle Skerry of Neapaback, off Burravoe in Yell, around 2pm.

The 61-year-old Shetland man was recovered from the water by his crewmate who carried out resuscitation until the arrival of the area's coastguard rescue helicopter.

Shetland Coastguard was alerted at 2.16pm local time and immediately scrambled the search and rescue helicopter.

The fisherman was then airlifted to the emergency landing site at Clickimin and transferred to a waiting ambulance to be taken to the Gilbert Bain Hospital in Lerwick.

All attempts to resuscitate him failed.

A spokesman for Northern Constabulary said: "Police are at an early stage of enquiries into the circumstances of the incident, but there do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances.

"Details of the deceased are being withheld until notification of next of kin."

The man was aboard the 23ft, Whalsay-based creel boat Flying Cloud with one other crew member in what Shetland Coastguard said were "not especially rough" conditions.

In another incident Aberdeen Coastguard rescue teams, an RAF helicopter, lifeboats and a fishing vessel were all involved in a search for a lone fisherman after his boat was spotted drifting between Fraserburgh and Peterhead. At 5.45pm on Saturday a member of the public called the coastguard to report that they had earlier seen a fisherman - who fishes from Fraserburgh and is in his 40s - putting creel pots out, but later saw the same boat run aground off St Combs with nobody visible on the vessel.

Concerned that the fisherman may have fallen overboard, Aberdeen Coastguard requested RAF Helicopter 137 from Lossiemouth to begin a search of the area.

They also requested the launch of the Fraserburgh and Peterhead RNLI lifeboats.

Because the vessel was only a mile-and-a-half from shore in an onshore wind, Aberdeen Coastguard requested coastguard rescue teams from Fraserburgh and Peterhead to begin a shoreline search in the hope that the fisherman may have made it ashore.

A fishing vessel, the "Reliance" also joined in the search, which was suspended at 11pm.

Aberdeen Coastguard resumed the search yesterday at first light with Fraserburgh and Peterhead lifeboats and local coastguard search teams.

The search was called off just after noon and the coastguard said: "The whole area was searched thoroughly.

"We are not anticipating any further searches.Given the length of time he has been in the water it is unlikely he has survived."

Grampian Police said the identity of the fisherman would not be released until next of kin were informed.

In February, fisherman Alexander Keith, from Cromarty, died after falling overboard from a small boat into the Moray Firth off Navity.

And last October, 22-year-old Mark Duffy, from County Donegal, fell overboard off the coast of Orkney as he was pulled into the water by his pot ropes.