Trawler sinking off Russia kills 56, dozens rescued alive
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A fishing trawler sank in freezing waters off Russia’s Far East yesterday, killing at least 56 people and setting off a frantic search for survivors that led to dozens being rescued alive.
In the worst such accident in recent Russian history, some 132 people were on board the trawler Dalny Vostok when it went down at around 6:30am in the Sea of Okhotsk off Kamchatka peninsula, possibly after a collision.
Sixty-three people were rescued alive while 13 were missing as rescuers fought rough seas. The country’s emergency ministry set the death toll at 56.
Survivors were waiting aboard rescue boats for a ship with medics to arrive after a helicopter made a failed attempt to pick them up amid waves as high as two meters, an emergency ministry spokeswoman said.
Those in the most serious condition were to be airlifted to a hospital in the city of Magadan, 250 kilometers to the north.
Investigators said the trawler included 78 Russian citizens, 42 Myanmar nationals, five from Vanuatu, three Latvians and four Ukrainians, without elaborating on the nationality of those who died.
“Nine people are in grave condition, some are unconscious and some in a state of shock,” said Tatyana Yukhmanova, spokeswoman for the emergency ministry in the Kamchatka region, which is taking part in the operation.
Speculation mounted on the possible reasons for the accident, in which the ship apparently sank so quickly that the captain did not manage to make a distress call.
Sakhalin’s acting governor Oleg Kozhemyako said that the ship was in adequate condition and likely capsized due to weight distribution violations.
“Most likely loading and ship balancing rules were violated. Either they had the lower decks empty or they didn’t load the ballast on time,” he said in televised remarks. “The vessel capsized,” he said.
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