Monday, November 19, 2007

Russian Ship Sinks In Sea Of Japan

Rescue operation is continuing as one person is still missing after a cargo ship sank in the Sea of Japan on Sunday. All 36 on board, including members of the Russian crew and six passengers, escaped on four inflatable rafts. The timber freighter Kasper-1, sailing under the flag of Saint Vincent and Grenadines, was en route from the Russian Far Eastern port of Nakhodka to China when it sank in a storm 180 miles south of the port. The captain said the ship sank due to cargo shifting during the storm.Olga Alkina from the Far East regional emergencies says the rescuers have found one more raft carrying 12 people from the ship. “Now we know of 35 people who have been saved and are currently on board three Russian and one British vessels,” she said. “The fate of one other crew member remains unknown. It’s unclear whether he managed to leave the sunken timber carrier and get to a raft. The search for the missing person continues. At the moment four ships and an Emergencies Ministry plane are working at the site,” Alkina added.

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