A hero fisherman dived into a north-east harbour to help save a woman whose car had plunged into the sea.
Rustam Psiancin was working onboard a nearby trawler when the black Ford Ka careered off the quayside.
He stripped to his underwear, grabbed a life jacket and leapt into the icy water at Macduff harbour to save the “young woman”.
He was able to tie a rope around the rear end of the hatchback, and the crew of the Kirkwall-registered K121 Keila hauled the car back to the quayside.
Emergency crews were then able to lift the Ford out of the water, with the driver – who was alone in the Ka – still trapped inside.
Lithuanian Mr Psiancin said his actions were instinctive.
“I took my clothes off and jumped,” he said.
“I got in the water with a rope and tried to move the car back. It was maybe 10 yards out.
“I could see inside the car. The woman was slumped on the steering wheel. I’m not sure if the airbag had gone off.”
Mr Psiancin added that he would not hesitate to take the same brave action again.
Keila skipper Tommy Tulloch watched the drama unfold.
He said: “I couldn’t believe it. We’d just come in for repairs 10 minutes before it happened. I heard the engine screaming – poor lass.”
Mr Tulloch added: “It happened fast and I wouldn’t like to speculate on it.”
The woman was treated by first aiders and paramedics on the quayside before she was transferred to an air ambulance which landed at a nearby golf course then flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
It is understood the car came down steep Nicol’s Brae and went across Shore Street before hitting a low wooden barrier which runs along the quayside.
The incident happened shortly before 10am.
There was a heavy police presence throughout the day in Macduff, and at one point during the morning there were seven police vehicles and more than a dozen officers stationed at the harbour.
Speaking at the scene, roads policing inspector Ewan Innes said: “At about 9.45am this morning a vehicle entered the harbour at Macduff.
“There was one female in the vehicle who was taken out very quickly by the fire service from the harbour.
“She was airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and her condition is serious. All we know is that we have a vehicle going into the harbour, and she was the sole occupant of that vehicle.
“The circumstances of how she’s come to end up in the harbour are not known and inquiries are at an early stage. We do have a number of witnesses however.”
One resident whose flat overlooks the scene said: “I saw someone trying to revive her and then the ambulance arrived.
“I stood up and said a prayer for the girl. I’ve got young daughters and this is shocking.”
Last night a spokesman for the RNLI confirmed that the volunteer crew based at Macduff harbour were called to assist emergency services.
He said: “The crew were paged by the coastguard to launch.
“As the crew arrived on scene they found that the vehicle had been lifted out of the water using equipment on the harbour.
“The lifeboat Lydia Macdonald was launched in case there was anyone else in the water.”
Police investigating the incident have urged eyewitnesses to contact them on 101.