Crewman dies as Cork-based fishing boat sinks

A fisherman has been killed, and two other men are missing after an Irish-registered fishing boat sank off the coast of England last night.

Seven other crew members were rescued.

The Dinish, which is based in Castletownbere, Co Cork, was carrying eight Spanish fisherman, a Sengalese man and a man from Guinea-Bissau from Spain to Ireland.

Those missing are understood to be a Spanish chief engineer and the crewman from Guinea-Bissau. The dead man's nationality is unknown.

A mayday was received at about 9.30 pm that the 40-metre Dinishwas in difficulties and taking in water 300 kilometres off the Isles of Scilly.

The Falmouth-based Coast Guard began an air-sea rescue mission. Two rescue helicopters were scrambled, along with an RAF Nimrod aircraft. Two merchant vessels in the area joined in the search.

The boat, which sank in about 2,000 metres of water at 4.00am, was sailing from Spain to Co Cork.

A Department of Transport spokeswoman said six of the crew were taken from a lifeboat by a Stena ferry that is now headed for mainland Europe.

The skipper was rescued by a merchant vessel that is en route to New York.

The dead man's body has been airlifted by RAF helicopter to Cork University Hospital. The rescue mission was called off at 7.15am.