Russian yacht Mir sank near Crimean coast

Three crew members of the Russian yacht Mir, which sank near the Crimean coast, have been saved, reported the Ukrainian emergencies ministry's main department in the Crimea and the sea rescue-coordination centre in Sevastopol.

The signal that the yacht under the Russian flag, which was bound from Istanbul to Novorossiisk (the Russian Black Sea port), is being wrecked, was given to the sea rescue-coordination centre in the early hours of Wednesday. There was a storm in the Black Sea at that time which reached 20 m/sec with the waves being 4 metres high.

Specialists of the Ukrainian emergencies ministry, the navy, the Yalta sea port as well as vessels passing by were involved in the search and rescue operation.

By five hours in the Wednesday morning all three crew members of the Mir yacht headed by captain Gennady Lamozin were found in the sea and lifted to the Ukrainian motor ship Yuri Dvuzhilny which was bound from Mariupol to Istanbul.

The seamen were in the water for four hours and were supercooled. Now their state is satisfactory.

The yacht itself was not saved. It sank near the Crimean coast.