Around 80 people have been forced to abandon a factory fishing ship in the Atlantic after it caught fire.

The Athena caught alight some 230 miles (370km) south-west of the Isles of Scilly around 6am today.(27 October).

Around 30 people have remained onboard to fight the fire, which is now under control. According to BBC reports, the fire is located in the processing area of the ship.

Falmouth coastguards have started an air and sea rescue operation and a cargo vessel  has been launched to help rescue those in lifeboats.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency told the BBC: "We are co-ordinating a search and rescue mission, but it's a long way from either the UK or French coast."

The Athena was constructed in 1992 but was rebuilt in China earlier this year after another fire onboard.