VIDEO: The RNLI find upturned Cemfjord and start their search for crew members

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has released footage of the search for the crew of a cargo vessel spotted upturned in the Pentland Firth.

The haunting footage shows the lifeboat crew find the upturned vessel and look around it for members of the crew.

Four RNLI crews were sent out yesterday to aid the search for the eight crew members of the Cypriot registered Cemfjord.

The charity’s all-weather lifeboats from Wick, Thurso, Longhope and Stromness were launched at around 2.30pm after the alarm was raised by an Aberdeen-Shetland ferry.

The search was called off last night but has resumed this morning.

Wick Lifeboat left the harbour at 8.10am to resume the search. It is expected that crews from Scrabster, Longhope and Stromness will also be out today.

Coastguard teams will also be searching the Caithness coastline.