Two fishermen who were overcome by fumes inside the hold of a trawler in Co Donegal are in a critical but stable condition in hospital.
The incident happened about 1.30pm on Monday at Killybegs aboard the Galway-registered Oileán an Óir.
One of the men, a 27-year-old from Galway, fell into the hold as he and his colleague were cleaning tanks in a refrigeration unit. The other man, a 46-year-old from the Philippines, was overcome with fumes when he tried to aid him after calling for help from other crew members.
The men were taken to Letterkenny General Hospital where they were in induced comas on Monday night.
"They were cleaning tanks and were washing one of the holds with stagnant water," local Independent county councillor Niamh Kennedy said. "Fumes came from stagnant water as far as we believe and there was ammonia and hydrogen sulphide, which is the norm in that situation."
The scene was preserved by gardaí and officials from the Health and Safety Authority were due to arrive on Monday night.