At least 27 people have died after a lobster-fishing boat capsized off the Atlantic coast of Honduras in poor weather, an armed forces spokesman said, in one of the country’s worst-ever accidents at sea.

Nine remained missing and 55 people were rescued after the accident near Puerto Lempira on Wednesday, said Jose Domingo Meza, the armed forces spokesman.

The Caribbean commercial fishermen’s association in Honduras said nearby boats were summoned to the scene to pick up the survivors.

Various boats have gathered off the Honduran coast for lobster-fishing season, which began this month and runs through February.

The accident happened near Cayo Gorda, an area north-east of the easternmost point of the Honduran coast. Another fishing boat capsized earlier in the day in the same region because of the poor weather, but all 49 people onboard were rescued, Meza said.

Honduras lobster exports generated $46m in 2018, according to official data, and were sent mostly to the United States.