Russian rescuers have started evacuating people in the South Kurils over a tsunami threat following a powerful earthquake in the Pacific, local rescue services said Wednesday.
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November 15, 2006Rescue teams, battling inclement weather, have saved 11 crew from a wrecked Russian cargo ship off South Korea’s coast, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday. With the one recovered dead body, fate of six seamen remains unknown.
A total of 18 crew were aboard the 2,448-ton Sinegorye, which was believed to have sunk while carrying a cargo of timber from Russia’s Far East to China.
Most of the rescued crew were in satisfactory condition and had been taken to South Korean ports. One was in a serious condition, and one remained on a vessel taking part in rescue operations.
Emergency Ministry officials said poor weather had prompted a postponement until Wednesday of plans to send a Russian aircraft to help search the area.
The South Korean coast guard said the Sinegorye sent a mayday call at around noon on Monday about 70 miles off Ullung Island on the east coast and was believed to have sunk. Water had entered its cargo compartment in rough seas.
Two large patrol boats and a search aircraft were dispatched to the area but the ships experienced difficulty reaching the area until well into the night, a South Korean coast guard official said by telephone from the coastal city of Donghae.
“It is too early to talk about the fate of the (other) crew members,†the official said. “Weather conditions remain extremely bad.â€
Heavy rain hit South Korea’s northeastern region on Monday.
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October 27, 2006Three of the 18 sailors from the wrecked Russian dry cargo ship Sinegorye have been rescued in the Sea of Japan, the Vladivostok rescue center told Interfax. One has been found dead, RIA Novosti added.
“One of them was on a raft and the other two were pulled out from the water. An empty lifeboat was also found. The raft had been spotted by a South Korean ship,†the center said.
14 crewmembers remain missing. An international team is involved in the rescue effort, and a Be-200 amphibious plane flew to the disaster area from Khabarovsk. Bad weather hampered efforts to recover the vessel and its crew on Tuesday, a day after the vessel lost radio contact off South Korea’s coast, Reuters reported.
The 2,448-tonne Sinegorye, carrying timber, sent a mayday call on Monday at around noon about 70 miles off Ullung Island on the east coast, the South Korean coast guard said.
Two large patrol boats and a search aircraft were dispatched to the area but the vessels experienced difficulty reaching the area until well into the night, a coast guard official said by telephone.
“It is too early to talk about the fate of the crew members,†the official said from the coastal city of Donghae after daybreak. “Weather conditions remain extremely bad.â€
The vessel is believed to have sunk, but the coast guard was not able to confirm it yet, the official said.
The vessel was sailing from Russia’s Far East to China when water rushed into its cargo compartment in high winds and tides, the coast guard said in a statement.
Torrential rain storms hit South Korea’s northeastern region on Monday.
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