The British Coastguard said last night it was "gravely concerned" about the fate of a Scottish fishing vessel which had gone missing in rough seas off the Isle of Man with a crew of seven.
The Solway Harvester, based in Kirkcudbright, Scotland, disappeared off the east coast of the Isle of Man after radioing to say it was heading for cover in the Manx port of Ramsay. It is believed all the crew are from the Solway Firth area.
An emergency positioning indicating radio beacon triggered the hunt when its signal was detected by a satellite. It was recovered by a helicopter last night but it failed to locate the ship.
Searchers later recovered a canister with an uninflated life raft from the vessel inside. The Irish Marine Emergency Services helicopter from Dublin Airport was called in to help with the search, which also involved British helicopters, a passenger ferry, a Royal Navy ship, and four lifeboats. The Navy's LE Ciara was also en route to the scene.