A 45-year-old man has died after falling from a fishing boat in the North Sea.
The Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Inverness and Aberdeen and Stonehaven RNLI lifeboats were sent after a man was reported overboard by a fishing crew around 1.54am.
Several commercial vessels also responded to the mayday call, but the man was pronounced dead after being recovered.
A spokeswoman for the police said: “Around 3.15am on Tuesday September 29, police were called to reports of a man having fallen into the sea from a fishing vessel near Stonehaven.
“Emergency services attended and a 45-year-old man was recovered from the sea and pronounced dead.
“Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident and a report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”
A spokeswoman for the coastguard said: “HM Coastguard was contacted by the crew of a fishing vessel at 01:54 this morning (29 September) reporting a man overboard approximately 4 miles east of Stonehaven.
“The Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Inverness and Aberdeen and Stonehaven RNLI lifeboats were sent.
“Several commercial vessels that were in the area responded to mayday relay broadcasts and also assisted in the search.”