Longliner sinks in Falklands, leaving crew stranded in severe weather.

The crew of a modern freezer-longliner faced a tragic situation off the coast of the Falkland Islands, with at least six lives lost in challenging weather conditions before they could be rescued. The fishing vessel, Argos Georgia, departed from Port Stanley with 27 crew members on board and encountered a serious flooding incident about 200 miles east of the port. As rescue assets mobilized, the crew was forced to abandon ship into life rafts, with the vessel ultimately sinking.

British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI) launched a long-range search aircraft to locate the rafts and monitor their position. Despite severe weather conditions, including significant wave heights of up to 25 feet, a Falkland Islands patrol vessel and Good Samaritan fishing vessels assisted in the rescue operation. Thirteen crew members were rescued from one raft, while one survivor and one deceased crew member were recovered from another raft. Tragically, five other bodies were found, resulting in six fatalities and 14 survivors, with seven crew members still missing.

The fishing vessel Argos Georgia, a 160-foot freezer longliner operated by an Argentine company, was involved in the Patagonian toothfish fishery off South Georgia. Ten of the crew members were Spanish nationals from the Galician fishing industry. The Falkland Islands government has not confirmed all details of the rescue operation but stated that a number of crew members had been rescued, with the search for the missing crew still ongoing. The accident serves as a poignant reminder of the risks and sacrifices faced by those working in the fishing industry.

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