The only man rescued from a ship that went down off the Western Isles says he was lucky to survive.

Martin Johnstone and Christopher Morrison died when the boat sank at anchor near Mingulay, south of Barra, on Saturday morning.

Another member of the crew remains missing despite a major search operation by police and the coastguard over the weekend.

The men are understood to have been asleep when the Stornoway-registered Louisa began sinking at 4am on Saturday.

Lachlan Armstrong, 27, decided to swim for shore when the crew's life raft failed to inflate and was rescued from Mingulay by Stornoway Coastguard.

Mr Armstrong, who recently became a father, told STV News: "It's hard to explain exactly how I feel - the relief at being alive but at the same time the regrets and the sympathies I have for all the families involved.

"It'll never leave me, it's just so tragic. I can't put into words how devastating and upsetting it is.

"The water was so cold and the raft wasn't keeping us dry as it never inflated. That's why we weren't out of the water. You know the only way you can survive is to get out of the water and get away.

"I made the choice to try to go for land. I didn't know if I'd make it but I thought perhaps leaving the other two boys with the raft they'd have more of a chance to get on to it themselves.

"A lot went through my mind and when I did finally reach the rocks I was convinced the rest of them would be OK. To hear that they were all gone - it still hasn't sunk in."