A fisherman in his 50s has died after the fishing boat he was travelling on capsized off the coast of northwest Mayo on Tuesday afternoon.
There men were sailing on what is understood to be one of a fleet of north Mayo crab fishing vessels about 25 kilometres off Eagle Island, Co Mayo when the boat capsized.
The Malin Head Rescue Co-ordination Centre was alerted to the emergency shortly after 12.30pm on Tuesday when it picked up a mayday broadcast. The Sligo-based coastguard helicopter took of from its base in Strandhill while the Ballyglass RNLI also took part in the search.
The Air Corps casa maritime patrol aircraft, which was airborne at the time of the emergency call, was also involved in the search.
At about 1.20pm the Sligo rescue helicopter spotted flares and a rescue craft in the water.
The three men were rescued from the life raft and the water by the helicopter and transferred to Sligo University hospital.
The man in his 50s was pronounced dead at the hospital while the two other men, both in their 20s, suffered minor injuries.
Met Éireann issued a status yellow weather warning at 10am on Tuesday for northeast winds reaching force six throughout Tuesday afternoon and evening from Rossan Point in Donegal to Howth Head to Dublin to Roches Point in Cork.
