Three fishermen were rescued from a trawler that caught fire 30 miles off the coast of Co Wicklow yesterday afternoon.
Lifeboat crews from Arklow and Wicklow RNLI responded to the emergency shortly before 4pm.
The fishermen had evacuated from their 14-metre boat onto a life raft.
One of the men was airlifted and brought to hospital for observation while the other two received casualty care on an RNLI lifeboat.
A tug boat made efforts to extinguish the fire on the boat but it later sank.
The Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 from Waterford was also involved in the operation, and multiple vessels in the area responded to the incident.
Speaking following the rescue, Arklow RNLI Coxswain Ned Dillon said: ‘Thankfully, all three fishermen were rescued this evening and we would like to wish them all a speedy recovery following what must have been a frightening experience for them.
"We would like to commend the skipper and his crew for doing the right thing and activating the Epirb when they knew they were in difficulty, that was the right thing to do.
"We would also like to thank and commend the crew of the vessels that were in the area and responded along with ourselves and our colleagues at Wicklow RNLI and in the Irish Coast Guard.
"It is always sad to see a fishing vessel sink but we are happy that all three fishermen are safe and recovering from their ordeal this evening," he said.
