Two crewmen dead and third #missing after #fishing vessel #sinks off coast of #Scotland

Four crew were on board the vessel this morning, but one was rescued and taken to hospital by helicopter

Two sailors have been found dead after a fishing boat sank off the Scottish coast early this morning .

One crew member remains missing following the incident off the Western Isles while a fourth person was rescued and taken to hospital by helicopter.

It has emerged the coastguard received a distress alert just before 3.45am on Saturday, reports the Daily Record .



The vessel's emergency positioning beacon was activated near Mingulay.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) confirmed this afternoon two bodies had been found.

A lifeboat and helicopter remains at the scene so the search can continue.

A MCA spokeswoman said the vessel went down in relatively calm weather conditions.

Speaking to the Daily Record , she said: "In the early hours of April 9 a fishing vessel sank off the Western Isles, Scotland, with four crew on board.

"The UK Coastguard received a distress alert just before 3.45 this morning when the fishing vessel 's emergency positioning beacon (EPIRB) was activated near Mingulay.

"The coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Stornoway has been searching the area along with the Barra RNLI lifeboat.

"One crew member has been taken to hospital by the helicopter.

"The lifeboat remains in the area and the coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Prestwick has taken over so the search can continue."

A Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) spokesman said: "The MAIB has deployed a team to conduct an investigation."