A fisherman has been airlifted to hospital by a coastguard helicopter after his hand was crushed near Rockall.
The coastguard was informed of the accident at 5.11am on Wednesday morning.
After phoning a doctor in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary for medical advice, the crew were told to take the casualty to the hospital within 12 hours.
But due to the extreme distance between the fishing boat and the nearest helicopter base in Stornoway, the crew had to sail west.
They had been fishing near the uninhabitable granite rock of Rockhall in the North Atlantic Ocean.
At 1.45pm, the 948 rescue helicopter took off from Stornoway to meet the boat in the ocean.
The crew managed to winch the injured man from the boat and flew back to Stornoway Airport at 4.30pm with him.
He was then passed into the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service and taken to Western Isles Hospital.
His condition is unknown.
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