VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik) – There appears to be no threat of leaking fuel following the sinking of the Dalniy Vostok trawler in the Sea of Okhotsk, a spokesperson of the Far East division of the Russian Emergencies Ministry told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
"Judging from visual observation, there is no threat of a leak," the source said.
The trawler sank in the Sea of Okhotsk around 300 kilometers, or 186 miles, from the Russian port city of Magadan at about 20:40 GMT on Wednesday.
"The vessel was in operational condition, it was fully prepared to go out to sea, under all parameters," a Magellan representative told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
According to the representative, the trawler was last repaired at the end of 2014, so it could not have sunk because of a technical fault.
There were a total of 132 people on board the vessel. At least 54 of them died in the accident, a local emergencies source told RIA Novosti, while 63 have been rescued.
The fate of the remaining 15 people is still unknown.
A criminal investigation has been launched into the accident. According to the Far East department of the Russian Investigative Committee, rescued Dalniy Vostok crew members, as well as Magellan executives, will be questioned in the near future in order to determine the causes of the sinking.
The Dalniy Vostok trawler is assigned to the Russian port of Nevelsk, located in the Sakhalin Region.
