Merchant ship and RAF to rowers rescue

Two rowers whose boat sank in the Atlantic Ocean found and rescued by a merchant ship and the RAF.

The pair survived at sea for more than five hours by usingaliferaft,beforebeing saved 800 nautical miles (1,482km) off Lands End on Thursday. The two crew members, from Denmark's Faroe Islands, were reported to be in "good health" following the rescue, the UK'S Coastguard said.

The closest merchant vesselwascontactedandasked to change course to the life raft. A hi-tech RAF Poseidon P8 aircraft, from RAF Lossiemouthinmorayshire also headed to find them at about 11:30.

It is the first time a Poseidon P8 - a maritime patrol aircraft equipped with sensors and weapon systems for anti-submarine warfare and surveillance - has been used for search and rescue in the UK, the Coastguard said.