Helicoptered to safety from blazing ship

Two sailors were helicoptered to safety after their vessel caught fire off the south-west coast of Iceland late yesterday evening.

The two men initially spotted large amounts of smoke coming from the engine room. They switched off the engine, closed off the area as much as possible, and activated the fire-extinguisher.

The smoke died down considerably and the pair assumed they had put out the fire, but the fire flared up a second time and they decided to call for help.

They exited directly onto the deck and got into their flotation suits, ready to jump into the sea. Despite the excellent weather conditions, this was not a prospect the sailors relished.

Thanks to the quick response time of the Icelandic Coast Guard, just twelve minutes elapsed between the emergency call being received and the two sailors being safely on board the two rescue helicopters dispatched.

The vessel was subsequently towed to land. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

The stricken vessel, Æskan GK 506. Photo: Reynir Sveinsson