The Maritime Search and Rescue Service saved the lives of four British seafarers who had to be rescued after gale-force winds caused their yacht to drift.

The rescue action was undertaken on Sunday morning after an SOS signal was sent from the British-flagged yacht at 04.10 CET between the town of Leba and the Stilo lighthouse on the Baltic coast.

Two of the sailors fell overboard, yet bad weather conditions did not allow for the dispatch of a rescue helicopter. The Polish Navy sent out an An-28 plane to search for the sailors.

At 06.19 CET the sailors were found 500 metres from the coastline, and an SAR boat was dispatched, as well as an emergency helicopter with a doctor on board.

“The shipwrecked sailors are suffering from cold, but their condition is stable,” Navy spokesman Lieutenant Bartosz Zajda told the press.

Meanwhile, the Baltic is being battered by storms, with north-westerly winds expected to gust up to 10 on the Beaufort scale. Winds are to calm down by Sunday evening, although scattered showers are expected. (jb)

Sources: PAP/IAR

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