Four sealers were airlifted Wednesday night from a vessel that got stuck in ice off Newfoundland's northeast coast.
Major Martel Thompson of the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax said the Double N was stuck in ice about 125 kilometres off Fogo Island.
Thompson said the ice and weather conditions were a challenge for the people on the boat and for the crew on the Cormorant helicopter who rescued them.
"There was a real fear that there's an imminent collision with an iceberg that was located 500 feet from this vessel and [was] closing in on them," Thompson told CBC.
"The Cormorant crews were battling low visibility due to darkness and 110 km/h winds."
Thompson said the helicopter crew hoisted the four sealers to safety and flew them to Gander.
The Double N was left adrift.
The seal hunt opened earlier this week.
