At least six people have died and seven are missing after a fishing vessel sank, British and Spanish maritime officials said.

The boat, sailing under the flag of British territory St Helena, was carrying 27 people off the coast of the Falkland Islands when it got into trouble.

Fourteen people made it on to a life raft and were rescued by two other fishing boats nearby when the 176-foot vessel, called the Argos Georgia, sank in the South Atlantic Ocean near Argentina, Spanish authorities said.

Officials from the Pontevedra province in Galicia, Spain identified 10 of the crew members as Spaniards.

No details were given on their condition as relatives are being notified, but the provincial government said on X one of the dead is the ship’s cook from the northwestern town of Baiona.

There were several other nationalities among the crew, they added.

The British-controlled Falkland Islands – which Argentina calls the Islas Malvinas and claims as its own – said it received an emergency signal on Monday.

The signal indicated the boat was east of Stanley, the island’s capital, when it took on water and was sailing at a speed of 35 knots per hour, according to monitoring site MarineTraffic.com.

A helicopter, another aircraft and several vessels were deployed in the rescue effort.

The Falkland Islands government reported the helicopter crew spotted survivors stranded at sea on Monday, but was soon forced to turn back due to rough water, poor visibility and wind.

The efforts resumed when the storm subsided on Tuesday.

Read more:
Falkland Islands sovereignty not up for debate, UK warns
Falklands War: Remembering the friends who never made it

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The Argos Georgia is managed by privately-owned joint British-Norwegian company Argos Froyanes Ltd and was built in 2018, according to marine traffic tracker Vesselfinder.

“Our crew members are true professionals and have regular training for such a situation,” the company said in a statement.

“We trust in their ability to use the safety equipment to the best of their ability.”

Britain and Argentina went to war over the Falkland Islands in 1982, when Argentine troops embarked on an invasion that killed 649 Argentines and 255 British soldiers.

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