Russia: Fishing boat sinks, 54 dead, 15 missing

(Baonghean.vn) - At least 54 sailors on a Russian fishing vessel died and 15 are still missing after the vessel sank in icy waters off the Kamchatka Peninsula in the western Pacific Ocean late yesterday (Wednesday, April 1), officials in the region said.

Map of the area where the fishing boat sank.

Viktor Klepikov, joint commander of the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky maritime rescue coordination center, said 63 of the 132 people on board were rescued in conditions with sea water temperatures near 0 degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).

“Search and rescue operations are still underway, we are trying to find 15 victims who are still missing. At this point we have not yet found the cause of this accident,” said Mr. Klepikov.

The Russian news agency TASS quoted a Kamchatka official as saying that the crew may have violated safety regulations by exceeding the permitted cargo storage capacity. “According to preliminary information, the ship sank while transporting 100 tons of seine,” Sergei Khabarov said.

Russia's Interfax news agency reported from an anonymous source that a large amount of icebergs may have hit the ship's hull, causing damage and sinking within 15 minutes.

Russia has a poor record on water safety, with most accidents attributed to negligence and corruption. In 2011, a crowded tourist boat sank on Russia’s Volga River, killing nearly 130 people in one of the worst post-Soviet maritime disasters.

The fishing boat was carrying 78 Russian sailors and 54 foreign sailors from Myanmar, Ukraine, Lithuania and Vanuatu. The ship sank in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, 250km south of the city of Magadan.

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According to Reuters