At least 56 are dead and 13 crew members are missing after the Russian trawler ‘Dalniy Vostok’ sank off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s far east, says the Tass news agency.
The agency said the rescue operation has so far found two bodies, believed to be Russian nationals, while 63 crewmen were rescued from the stricken vessel and 13 missing crew are still unaccounted for.
Preliminary reports suggest that the incident may have occurred during the haul of a fishing seine of between 80 and 100 tonnes.
But there is other speculation that the trawler may have collided with an unknown obstacle which apparently damaged the hull.
The trawler wrecked in the Sea of Okhotsk 330km west of Kamchatka in the early hours of 2 April. While the search for the missing continues, an investigation into the incident is now also underway.
Kamchatka Territory’s Emergencies Ministry said that out of the 132 crew onboard there were 78 Russian nationals, 42 citizens of Myanmar, 5 from Vanuatu, 3 from Latvia and 4 from the Ukraine.
Dalniy Vostok was owned by Magellan LLC and its home port was Nelesk.
Details correct at time of press 14.32pm 2 April
