SEARCH and rescue teams have been scrambled to help trace a person who fell overboard from a vessel in the North Sea.

HM Coastguard received a distress alert at around 8.15am on Thursday from the vessel around 40 miles north-east of Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire.

An oil and gas industry rescue helicopter from Aberdeen is also supporting the search. 

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Rescue crews were still searching for the person as of around 3.10pm on Thursday.

A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “An HM Coastguard rescue helicopter, a fixed-wing Coastguard aircraft, nearby vessels, and RNLI Fraserburgh and Peterhead lifeboats have been called to assist in the search for a person overboard from a vessel in the North Sea.

“An oil and gas industry rescue helicopter from Aberdeen is also supporting.

“The alarm was raised at around 8.15am this morning, after HM Coastguard received a distress alert from the vessel around 35 nautical miles north-east of Fraserburgh.

“The search is ongoing.”