'Harvester' wreck to be raised by Manx

The Scottish fishing boat Solway Harvester, which sank with the loss of all seven crew 11 days ago, is to be raised.

The Scottish fishing boat Solway Harvester, which sank with the loss of all seven crew 11 days ago, is to be raised.

The Isle of Man government said yesterday it would raisethe wreck on humanitarian grounds to recover the bodies of the crew. The scallop dredger is lying about 11 miles east of the island. Authorities weretrying to find a contractor able to carry out the recovery operation, which would start on Friday at the earliest and would be subject to the weather.

Investigators from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch were continuing their inquiry into the sinking yesterday and looking through the video footage collected during the survey of the wreck.

The seven men who died all came from the Machars area of Galloway, which includes the villages of Isle of Whithorn, Whithorn and Garlieston. Alistair Geddes, a Whithorn councillor, said the Scottish community was grateful to the Isle of Man government for its commitment.