Russia: at least 54 died in the sinking of a trawler

"There were 132 people aboard the trawler. They were engaged in fishing."

A trawler sank early this morning off the coast of the Russian Far East. The provisional toll reported at least 54 dead and 15 missing. 63 crew members were rescued. The ship was carrying mostly Russian and Burmese seafarers. There were also Ukrainians, Lithuanians and ni-Vanuatu.

The trawler sank in the space of a quarter of an hour in the icy waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, where many rescue vessels were deployed. "The rescue operation continues, explains

Timur Tedeyev, deputy head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Fifteen boats are on area. There were 132 people aboard the trawler. They were engaged in fishing. ''

The exact causes of the accident remain uncertain. The ship might have hit a block of ice drift. Other sources of state of a trawl capacity is exceeded. The boat was going to pull a thread hundred tons when it sank.