ATLANTIC

Five rescued from sinking fishing vessel off southwestern N.S.

The Canadian Press Published Sunday, January 31, 2016 2:53PM AST

Search and rescue technicians are hoisted by a Cormorant helicopter during a Canada-United States coast guard ceremony in Halifax on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2006. (Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Text:

YARMOUTH, N.S. - Five people are safe after being plucked from a sinking fishing vessel off the coast of southwestern Nova Scotia.

Capt. Cameron Hillier of Joint Task Force Atlantic says the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax received a mayday distress call from the Jill Marie around 11:30 p.m. Saturday.

Hillier says a Cormorant helicopter, a Hercules aircraft and the Canadian Coast Guard ship Spray were dispatched to the scene roughly 30 kilometres off the coast of Yarmouth.

He says the Spray was close by and safely rescued all five people around 1 a.m. Sunday.