Vladivostok (Russia), Aug 27 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Rescuers found a life raft from Russia’s Alexei Kulakovsky tugboat, which sank Friday morning in the Laptev Sea, some 20 nautical miles from the shore, Russia’s Far East emergencies ministry said.
The vessel with 14 crewmembers on board sent a distress call at 4.40 a.m. and a nearby tanker rushed to the tugboat saving three crewmembers, who are the captain and two sailors.
‘A life raft was discovered by a helicopter at about noon. There were no people in the life raft,’ the ministry’s press service said.
Rescuers from the emergencies ministry department in Russia’s Far East are currently searching for 11 missing sailors. The rescue operation involves two Mi-8 helicopters carrying rescuers and doctors.
The Kapitan Babichev tugboat and the Nikolai Yevgenov survey vessel are on their way to the scene of the accident to take part in the rescue operation and are soon expected to be there.
The cause of the tugboat’s sinking was not clear.
