1,400 Rescuers Involved in Search Operation After Okhotsk Trawler Sinking

The Far Eastern Division of the Russian Emergencies Ministry said the number of people involved in the search and rescue operation after the fishing trawler sank late on Wednesday in the Sea of Okhotsk increased to 1,400 people and 26 vessels.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The number of people involved in the search and rescue operation in the Sea of Okhotsk, where a trawler sank late on Wednesday, has been increased almost twofold, a spokesperson of the Far Eastern division of the Russian Emergencies Ministry told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

"The number of specialists has been increased to 1,400 people. Twenty six sea vessels are searching for the missing crew members," the spokesperson said.

Earlier, the spokesperson told RIA Novosti that 800 people and 17 pieces of equipment were involved in the search and rescue operation.

There were 132 people on board the Dalniy Vostok trawler, including 78 Russians and 54 foreign nationals, when it 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, according to a local emergencies source.

At least 54 of them died in the accident, the source told RIA Novosti on Thursday, while 63 have been rescued. The fate of the remaining 15 people is still unknown.

The trawler was carrying over 20 metric tonnes of fuel, according to a spokesperson of the Far Eastern division of the Russian Emergencies Ministry. The spokesperson told RIA Novosti that there appeared to be no danger of a fuel leak.

A criminal investigation has been launched into the accident to determine the cause of the Dalniy Vostok trawler sinking.