Nine crewmen rescued from a fishing trawler that sank off the coast of Co Donegal are to fly home today as an inquiry is launched into the tragedy which killed their six colleagues.
The bodies of the six men are this morning being taken to Killybegs, on board two Norwegian surface vessels which helped in yesterday's search and rescue operation. The dead are due to be flown home later today.
The nine survivors were this morning at a military reception centre on Benbecula in Scotland’s Western Isles where they were taken after being airlifted from the icy water during the early hours of Tuesdaymorning.
A tenth survivor, who was pulled from the sea after spending more than 12 hours being battered by high winds and 20ft waves, is expected to spend another night in hospital recovering from hypothermia.
His rescue was the culmination of an international mission that began late on Monday night when a distress signal was picked up from the German registered Hansa240-miles south west of Tiree.
The Spanish owners of the vessel were set to investigate why the trawler went down.
Sixteen people - a German and 15 Spaniards - were on board. It hadoriginally sailed from the Spanish port of La Coruna.
PA