MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argos Georgia rescue: Falklands Stanley hospital ready to receive survivors

The King Edward Memorial Hospital in Stanley, Falklands main health service

The lastest update from the Falkland Islands Maritime Authority, Tuesday 23 July, 2024 approximately 15:00 hours Falklands time, said that on Monday 22 July 2024, the Maritime Authority received information that the fishing vessel Argos Georgia, with 27 persons onboard, was taking on water and requesting assistance some 200 miles east of Stanley.

 At 4pm local time on Monday 22 July 2024 the crew abandoned ship. (The first FIMA report said that because of “uncontrolled flooding, 27 crew members from the fishing vessel Argos Georgia were forced to abandon ship shortly after 4PM local time and crew members took to life rafts.”)

The Falkland Islands Government, Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, HQ British Forces South Atlantic Islands, the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency, the fishing vessel company and other fishing vessels at sea, have been working closely with one another to coordinate an ongoing search and rescue operation.

It has been confirmed today (Tuesday) that Falklands Patrol Vessel, FPV Lilibet and 2 fishing vessels (Falklands flagged trawler Robin M. Lee and Chilean factory ship Puerto Toro) in the area have been able to rescue a number of the crew members.

Those that have been rescued will be brought back to Stanley and taken to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for medical assessment. The search continues for the missing crew members.

The Falkland Islands Government send their thoughts to all the families involved. We would like to thank everyone involved in this search and rescue effort.

The search and rescue will continue throughout the night and the safety of all those involved is paramount.

From London, Minister of State for Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, Stephen Doughty sent the following X message, “My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the ongoing incident. I am hugely grateful to the British Forces in South Atlantic, Falklands government, Government of South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands and MCA media, for their efforts in the ongoing search and rescue operation”.