Two men rescued from water near Rathlin Island by RNLI after speedboat catches fire

Two men have been rescued by the RNLI after their boat caught fire south of Rathlin Island.

Cushendall based Red Bay RNLI were on a training exercise when the callout came at 8:11pm on Monday, reporting that two men were in the water after their 18ft speedboat caught fire.

They were rescued by a passing yacht, before being transferred onto the Red Bay lifeboat and brought back to Ballycastle.

From there they were moved into the care of the coastguard.

“Thankfully we had excellent conditions this evening and both people were safely recovered from the water,” Red Bay RNLI Helm Gary Fyfe said.

“The fire took hold quickly and they made the correct decision to evacuate the vessel. We would advise people to always carry a means of calling for help and to wear a lifejacket.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.