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Last Updated: Tuesday, 27 April, 2004, 19:52 GMT 20:52 UK
Man saved after Mayday call home
Map of Portugal
The crew were making their way from Gibraltar to the UK
A man from Merseyside has been rescued after crew members on a yacht sinking off Portugal notified coastguards in Britain by satellite phone.

The vessel ran into difficulties 300 miles north-west of Lisbon but no one responded to their Mayday calls. Frank Williams, 57, from St Helens, then made emergency calls to Britain on his satellite mobile telephone.

His messages were passed on to Falmouth and Liverpool Coastguards, who informed the Portuguese maritime authority.

Three people were recovered by Portuguese authorities after abandoning their yacht, named Herrikka, off the Azores on Monday.

A Russian woman and a Spanish man were found in a life raft last night, and Mr Williams, from St Helens, Merseyside, was rescued on Tuesday morning.

It is thought the crew had apparently been on passage from Gibraltar to the United Kingdom.

The crew were recovered from life rafts by the Merchant tanker Berge Challenger, which was heading across the Atlantic to New York on Tuesday.


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