Rescue operation launched in search for person who fell overboard from vessel in North Sea

A rescue operation has been launched in the search for a person who has fallen overboard from a vessel in the North Sea.

The alarm was raised at around 8.15am on Thursday about 35 nautical miles northeast of Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire.

A Coastguard helicopter has been sent to the scene, along with a fixed wing aircraft.

Nearby vessels and teams from RNLI Fraserburgh Lifeboat and RNLI Peterhead Lifeboat have also been called to assist.

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The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said the person fell from a standby safety vessel.

A spokesperson from the MCA added: "An HM Coastguard rescue helicopter, a fixed wing coastguard aircraft, nearby vessels, and RNLI Fraserburgh and Peterhead lifeboats have been called to assist in the search for a person overboard from a vessel in the North Sea.

"The alarm was raised at around 8.15am this morning, after HM Coastguard received a distress alert from the vessel around 35 nautical miles northeast of Fraserburgh."