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At least six people are feared dead and seven are missing after a fishing boat sank off the Falkland Islands.
British maritime officials said the 176ft vessel, the Argos Georgia, sank in the South Atlantic near Argentina, 200 nautical miles (229 miles) off the coast of the Falklands, as it was carrying 27 people.
They said that an emergency signal on Monday evening indicated that the boat was east of Stanley, the capital city of the British-controlled island, when it began taking on water, before sinking early on Tuesday morning.
14 people managed to get onto two out of the three available lifeboats and were rescued by two other nearby fishing boats, local media reported.
While a British aircraft was able to track the positions of the lifeboats, a full rescue attempt by the government of the Falkland Islands was called off following ‘extremely challenging weather condition’, according to a statement.
The weather in the area was reported to be so bad that waves leapt as high as eight metres (26ft).
British maritime officials said the Argos Georgia (pictured) started to take water on on Monday
The ship sank in the South Atlantic near Argentina, 200 nautical miles (229 miles) off the coast of the Falklands (File image)
They said that an emergency signal on Monday evening indicated that the boat was east of Stanley, the capital city of the British-controlled island (pictured)
A government spokesperson added: ‘As of [Tuesday] morning weather conditions mean the search area remains out of limits for helicopter SAR [search and rescue] operations, but the situation is being reviewed regularly with a view to resuming operations as soon as possible.’
Spanish officials said that 10 of the crew members of the vessel, which sailed under the flag of British territory St Helena, were Spanish. Two of them were reportedly scientific observers.
Local media added that the rest of the crew came from several countries, including Russia, Indonesia, Uruguay and Peru.
Data from MarineTraffic.com indicated that the Argos Georgia was travelling at 35 knots per hour (40mph).
The boat, built in 2018 in Turkey with a capacity of up to 28, is managed by Argos Froyanes Ltd., a privately owned British-Norwegian shipping company.
A spokesperson told Sky News: ‘Our crew members are true professionals and have regular training for such a situation.
‘We trust in their ability to use the safety equipment to the best of their ability.’
MailOnline has contacted the company for comment.
More to follow.
