Two bodies found during urgent search after tugboat capsizes and sinks in water

25 February 2023 , 15:16

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Police boats and divers taking part in the rescue operation in the Firth of Clyde near Greenock (Image: PA)

Two bodies have been recovered in a search for crew after a boat sank off the Scottish coast, emergency services say.

Rescue crews in Scotland launched an emergency operation on Friday after the tugboat capsized the Firth of Clyde near Greenock, Inverclyde.

The bodies were recovered from on Saturday, rescue services said.

Police Scotland, the coastguard and RNLI were called to the scene after the boat went under the water at the Custom House Quay.

The operation was back on at 8am on Saturday, and sadly divers have since recovered the bodies of two people.

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Rescue services said on Saturday that two bodies had been recovered (PA)

It's understood there were only two people on the boat at the time of its capsize.

A coastguard spokesman said on Friday evening that rescue teams from both Helensburgh and Greenock had been scrambled, along with a lifeboat from the local RNLI station and the coastguard helicopter from nearby Prestwick.

The spokesman added: "Multiple vessels on the Clyde in the vicinity of the incident also responded, including an MoD Police vessel."

Police Scotland confirmed on Friday that officers from the force's dive and marine unit and the air support unit had been involved in the search operation

Susie Beever