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4 people safely rescued after abandoning fishing vessel off St. John's

Search ends in St. Anthony area for fishing crew member

Four people have been safely rescued from a life-raft after abandoning their fishing vessel that caught fire off the coast of St. John's Friday night.

The crew members of the Challenger Traveler were brought to safety by the supply vessel Atlantic Bandit, following a prompt rescue response that included two coast guard vessels, a helicopter and half a dozen fishing boats.

Maj. Mark Norris, the officer in charge at the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax, said a distress call came in around 8 p.m. while the boat was 160 kilometres off the coast of St. John's.

Shortly afterward, the crew were forced to abandon ship for the life-raft and were awaiting rescue for approximately two hours, said Norris.

He said the crew had followed proper protocol and worn immersion suits.

"The weather on scene was quite bad, visibility was quite low, so from an air perspective the search conditions were not ideal." said Norris.

"This was a really fantastic example of a master of a vessel following instructions, following regulations, and having the proper safety equipment."

None of the four people on board suffered any injuries.