Search for missing fishermen continues

The crew of the rescue ship Lazurit has initiated a search for fishermen from the schooner Viktoria, which sank off the coast of Primorye on January 4th, reported Vladivostok's Sea Rescue Operations Coordinating Centre.

Previous efforts to locate the fishermen from the shore or from passing ships were in vain.

The schooner sank on the morning of January 4th in the Olga Gulf. The distress signal came too late. The small vessel became unsteady because of the ice on its hull and overturned just 700 meters off the shore. Most likely, the number of crew on board was 6.

The navigator on duty on board the motor ship Omsky-121 watched through binoculars as six people jumped overboard. When the motor ship approached the spot, it found and picked up only one body. The fisherman had died of exposure.

It is still unclear who owned the schooner, which was its home port, and how many crew were on board. The schooner was probably engaged in illegal fishing.