Rescue vessel stranded during air crash recovery in La Manga

THE Ministry of Defence is trying to rescue a minesweeping vessel that became stranded during the recovery of the C-101 aircraft that crashed into the sea off the coast of La Manga del Mar Menor.

The vessel, named Turia ran aground whilst recovering a submarine robot that was used during the search for the remains of the military aircraft on the sea bed on Monday.

The Ministry has released a statement explaining that the grounding of the vessel has caused numerous compartments to fill with water.

Some members of crew are still on board as the ship remains in no immediate danger. They will be rescued throughout the evening.

The Spanish Navy has moved another ship, the Neptune to the scene to study the available options.

Weather so far has prevented dive teams to assess the external damage with high winds causing the sea conditions to become dangerous. Examinations should start within the next 24 hours according to weather reports.

Navy personnel specialising in maritime recovery have recently emptied 50 per cent of the vessel’s fuel tanks in an effort to dislodge it from the bottom.