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LONDON - Eight crew members were rescued but six were unaccounted for after a tugboat capsized in the North Sea today, coast guards said.
The Bourbon Dolphin, a Norwegian anchor-handling supply tug, capsized with 14 crew on board 75 miles north of Scotland's Shetland Islands, a coast guard spokeswoman said.
Three nearby vessels offered help, the coast guard scrambled a helicopter and a diving vessel was on its way to help in the rescue, the spokeswoman said.
The North Sea near Scotland sees heavy traffic from vessels supplying off shore oil rigs. Waters there are deadly cold this time of year, but weather in the area was described as good.
Sea rescue experts said crew in the water could survive for a few hours, but only if they were wearing survival suits designed to keep them warm.
- REUTERS
