Six fishermen have been rescued from a trawler which overturned off the southeast coast.
Four people, three Poles and a Belgian, were initially winched from the 36-metre beam trawler when the Coast Guard sent a search and rescue helicopter from Waterford airport.
The two remaining Belgian fishermen, including the skipper, stayed on board for a time in an unsuccessful attempt to pump out water but were then winched to safety by a Coast Guard helicopter scrambled from Dublin.
The fishermen, five in their mid-30s and one in his 20s, received medical attention for minor injuries, including eyewash treatment after getting diesel fuel in their eyes.
The Irish Coast Guard received a Mayday call at 8.15am from the Belgian-registered vessel Arca that it was taking in water, about 16 miles off "The Smalls", a group of islands off the coast of Milford Haven in Wales. The vessel, registered in Belgium but based at Milford Haven, was in UK waters but only had communications with the Irish Coast Guard. When alerted, the British coast guard asked the Irish Coast Guard to attend the vessel.
The search and rescue helicopter carries a salvage pump. "They dropped the pump on board and took the four men off," said Declan Geoghegan of the Irish Coast Guard.
"The pump wasn't making much of an impact. So we got another pump on board but it was still taking in water, so the two other fishermen were airlifted."
Mr Geoghegan said the Waterford helicopter had to bring the four men to the airport and refuel, so a helicopter was scrambled from Dublin.
It dropped the second salvage pump on the vessel and hovered overhead as the fishermen continued their attempts to pump out the vessel, which was listing.
They were then airlifted and brought to Waterford airport where they received medical attention.
The Coast Guard arranged for the men to be brought to Rosslare for the ferry back to Britain.
The Arca, a steel-hulled boat, later overturned but remained floating in the water. It is likely to be recovered and taken back to Milford Haven.
At the time of the incident the wind was southwesterly force three to four, with a two-metre swell and poor visibility.
