A seriously injured captain and six passengers were airlifted off a stricken cargo ship in the Irish Sea today.
The British Royal Navy helicopter from Cornwall managed to rescue the skipper of the Horncliffafter rescue efforts last night were hampered by force nine gales.
A Falmouth coastguard spokesman said weather conditions had eased in the area south of Ireland. The captain had suffered serious spinal injuries and internal bleeding in an accident.
The passengers were less seriously hurt - one with a broken hand and another with head injuries. The injured have been taken to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske and not Cork as previously planned.
The cargo ship was carrying bananas and other fruit from the Caribbean to Dover when it encountered a force 10 storm about 200 miles off southern Ireland yesterday.
It lost about 90 containers. It appeared those injured were trying to fasten the containers in the storm but the exact circumstances of what happened is still unknown.
Last night a Sea King helicopter from RAF Chivenor in Devon, assisted by a Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft from Scotland, spent nearly an hour over the ship trying to get the injured man off.
But there was a 24ft swell at the time and it proved impossible. The coastguard said the vessel also suffered some damage but there is no danger of it sinking.
The Horncliffis now heading to Falmouth Bay and the first mate is in charge.