Chopper still afloat

Dramatic pictures taken by the Lerwick Lifeboat crew show the stricken Super Puma EC 225 helicopter which ditched into the sea north of Orkney yesterday.

According to Coastguards, the helicopter with 19 people onboard, was on its way from Aberdeen to the West Phoenix drilling rig at the time of the controlled ditching.

The Coastguard tug is standing by the chopper today, Tuesday, as an operation to recover the aircraft from the sea gets underway.

The pictures show flotation bags attached to the chopper, which are designed to keep it on the surface in the event of it ditching in water.