Six people missing in Irish Sea after cargo ship sinks

Two rescued after hull of Swanland cracks in gale-force winds 20 miles north-west of Wales and crew went overboard

Six people are missing after a cargo ship sank in the Irish Sea in gale-force winds off the north Wales coast.

A distress call was made from the Swanland, an 81m (265ft) carrier, at around 2am GMT on Sunday from 20 miles north-west of the Llyn peninsula after the hull cracked. Two people were recovered from the water, but six were still missing, the Holyhead coastguard said.

A coastguard spokeswoman said: "We had a mayday call at just after 2am this morning and it was for cargo ship with eight people on board. It had a cracked hull so some other vessels went to the scene and they provided shelter for the people that were in the water.

"Two helicopters and two lifeboats were sent to the scene. Two people have been recovered from the water and we are still searching for six.

The two men recovered were airlifted to safety and taken to RAF Valley in Anglesey.

The spokeswoman said: "I haven't got much information on their condition but I have heard that they are OK."

The search was continuing for those missing, she said.

Jim Green, from Holyhead coastguard, said: "We are very concerned for the safety of the other six crew members. We know that at least some of them are wearing immersion suits and have strobe lighting with them, however sea conditions are challenging at best."

The Swanland had been carrying 3,000 tonnes of limestone.

Gale-force winds battered the Irish Sea during the early hours of the morning and the coastguard said this could have been what caused the ship to break up.

Prince William, who qualified as an RAF search and rescue helicopter co-pilot last September, is based at RAF Valley.


guardian.co.uk 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Al! l rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

'Son of star wars' base in Yorkshire finally ready to open

Peace campaigners slam secrecy over $10bn Menwith Hill project that puts UK in line of fire A "star wars" inspired defence shield that will alert the US to the launch of ballistic missiles is expected to be operational from a North Yorkshire airbase before the end of the year. The Space Based Infrared System is seen as the successor to Ronald Reagan's unrealised "star wars" programme, which would have detected Soviet missiles and shot them down using lasers. The new system, which has cost more than $10bn, has taken almost two decades to build and has been subject to numerous delays and cost overruns. The imminent completion of the project at the RAF Menwith Hill base near Harrogate has revived fears that space is in danger of becoming militarised, with Britain in the vanguard. "I find this disturbing to say the least," said a local Labour MP, Fabian Hamilton. "It's as if they are saying this is a place in the US and you are foreigners. But ha
Keep reading

Wisconsin governor prank called

Republican is duped by a caller pretending to be one of the rightwing Koch brothers, two of his wealthiest backers The Republican governor at the centre of the union-busting protests in the US has been embarrassed by a prank call that he believed was from one of his billionaire backers. On the recording of the call, which has been released online, the Republican governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker tells a caller impersonating one of the rightwing Koch brothers that he is looking forward to flying to California to celebrate with them once the battle with the unions was won, and jokes about taking a baseball bat to slug Democratic leaders. Walker is under siege in his office in the state capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin, in a backlash against his proposed legislation to remove unions' right to collective bargaining and cut public sector workers' pay. Ian Murphy, who calls in pretending to be David Koch, suggests planting troublemakers among the protesters, who have been peac
Keep reading

As China Rolls Ahead, Fear Follows

Image
As China Rolls Ahead, Fear Follows - China kept economy growing in past couple of years by printing money. Now it's feeling consequences. Inflation in consumer prices, speculative bubble in property. Milk dearer in Shanghai than in New York Agence France-Presse — Getty Images China is looking to restructure its economy away from dependence on exports like textiles. For nearly two years, China’s turbocharged economy has raced ahead with the aid of a huge government stimulus program and aggressive lending by state-run banks. But a growing number of economists now worry that China — the world’s fastest growing economy and a pillar of strength during the global financial crisis — could be stalled next year by soaring inflation, mounting government debt and asset bubbles. Two credit ratings agencies, Moody’s and Fitch Ratings , say China is still poised for growth, yet they have also recently warned about hidden risks in its banking system. Fitch even hinted at the
Keep reading