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Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands.
CNN
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A fishing boat carrying 27 people has sunk about 200 miles off the coast of the South Atlantic, leaving at least six dead and seven missing. Falkland Islands.
The Falkland Islands government said in a press release on Tuesday that it had requested assistance shortly after the fishing vessel FV Argos Georgia began sinking east of the islands at around 4pm local time on Monday.
The government said the crew abandoned ship, with some managing to get onto life rafts.
Some of those on the life rafts have since been rescued but the search is continuing for those still missing, the statement said.
CNN has contacted the Falkland Islands government for clarification on the number of dead and missing. “This is an ongoing situation and we will not be commenting further,” Sally Heathman, spokesperson for the Falkland Islands government, told CNN on Tuesday.
Fourteen people were rescued in life rafts by a nearby fishing boat, the Associated Press reported, citing British and Spanish maritime authorities. At least six people were killed and seven are still missing. At least 10 of the crew were identified as Spanish nationals, according to the AP.
The Falkland Islands government said those rescued would be taken to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in the capital, Stanley, for medical examinations.
A search and rescue operation using helicopters and boats began on Monday and is expected to continue until Tuesday night.
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The Falkland Islands said a search and rescue helicopter attempted to extract the crew on Monday night but was unsuccessful due to “extremely severe weather conditions and extremely limited time on site due to range.”
“The helicopter returned to Stanley Airport to refuel before a second search, but the weather further deteriorated and the rotorcraft search and rescue operation was suspended,” it added.
The search and rescue operation involves the Falkland Islands Government, as well as the governments of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British South Atlantic Islands Command, UK Maritime and Coastguard, the fishing vessel’s management company and other fishing vessels at sea.
“The Falkland Islands Government offers its sincere sympathies to all the families involved,” it added.
The Argentine Navy also said it had attempted a search and rescue operation after receiving warning of the sinking ship.
The Falkland Islands, about 300 miles east of the tip of South America, are a British overseas territory that was the scene of a brief war between Britain and Argentina in 1982. Britain won that war, but Argentina continues to claim the islands, which it calls Las Malvinas.
The Argos Georgia was managed by Argos Froyanes, a private British-Norwegian joint venture, and was sailing under the flag of St. Helena, another British overseas territory in the South Atlantic, according to the Associated Press.
“This accident highlights the harshness of fishing activities and the sacrifices and risks experienced by marine professionals,” Carmen Crespo, chair of the European Parliament’s fisheries committee, said in a statement on Tuesday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
