Seven rescued after fishing boat sinks off the Western Isles

Seven crew members have been rescued after their fishing boat sank following a collision between two trawlers 100 miles north of Lewis.

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 5am.

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

Stornoway Coastguard Station was alerted to the sinking trawler at 5am on Thursday.

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.