Rescued Sailors From Sunken Trawler Head to Sakhalin

Some 63 rescued sailors from the Russian trawler Dalniy Vostok that sank in the Sea of Okhotsk on early Thursday were transferred to a vessel that will bring them to Sakhalin Island, an official from the Russian Emergencies Ministry said.

VLADIVOSTOK (Sputnik) — Nine survivors are in a serious condition, four of them are unconscious and the others are in a state of shock.

"The surviving sailors have been transferred to the Andromeda [vessel] that arrived to transport the survivors and the dead to Korsakov, Sakhalin region. The sailors are receiving first aid on board," the official said Thursday.

There were a total of 132 persons on board the vessel, including 81 Russians and 51 foreigners. At least 56 of them died in the accident, while fate of the 13 persons is still unknown.

The trawler was carrying over 20 metric tons of fuel but no danger of a fuel leak has been reported. A criminal investigation has been launched into the accident to determine the cause of the Dalniy Vostok trawler sinking.