Fisherman saved from burning boat off the coast of East Iceland

A rescue worker tries to put out the fire in …

A rescue worker tries to put out the fire in the boat. Photo/Stefán Grímur

The National Coastguard received an emergency signal at 7.46 pm last night from a fishing boat that had caught fire just outside of Vopnafjörður in the East Fjords.  Nearby boats were called to aid the boat's captain who at around 8 pm had left the burning vessel and was on a lifeboat.

Twenty minutes later he was picked up by trawler Hólmi NS-56 and then later went aboard the Sveinbjörn Sveinsson trawler. The man was not injured.

Photo/Stefán Grímur

Once the fire was put out the fishing boat was towed to land but sank on the way to the coast.

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