Seventeen fishermen went missing on Monday and were feared dead after a Russian trailer capsized during a storm and sank in the icy waters of the Barents Sea. Officials said two people were rescued by a craft, but hopes are quickly fading that more survivors could be found during a snowstorm across the Arctic waters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday expressed “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the victims and offered “words of support” to the survivors.
“I am saddened to learn of the tragedy,” Putin said in a statement issued by the Kremlin.
During a government meeting earlier in the day, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin instructed officials to provide the necessary assistance to relatives of the victims.
“A tragedy struck in the Barents Sea today,” Mishustin said. “People have died,” he added without providing further details.
Alexander Kokorin / AP
Officials said a search-and-rescue operation was underway, but that poor conditions made the task difficult.
“There is a severe snowstorm, waves are up to four meters high and the temperature is about 20-25 degrees Celsius below zero,” Alexei Barinov, spokesman for the emergency services in the northwestern region of Murmansk, told AFP.
“We are hoping for a New Year’s miracle,” he added.
However, a source familiar with the details of the search told AFP that there is little hope of finding survivors.
“A person can not last longer than 15 minutes in these conditions,” the source said.
The private boat, named Onega, sank in the Barents Sea near the island group Novaya Zemlya at about 06:20 (0330 GMT), said Ruslan Nazarov, head of the Murmansk Ministry of Emergency Services.
Ten minutes later, a passing vessel rescued two fishermen, Nazarov told reporters.
Officials believe the Russian-flagged vessel, which has been in operation since 1979, capsized after the ice build-up tipped it over.
The disaster struck when the crew pulled out a net with the catch, Rosmorrechflot Maritime and River Transport Agency spokesman Alexei Kravchenko said.
“The vessel lost its balance and capsized immediately,” he told AFP.
Three vessels and an Il-38 maritime patrol aircraft were sent to the scene, officials said.
Kravchenko said no body had been found so far, although the two survivors saw a crew member die before them.
Maritime accidents are fairly common in Russia.
In April 2015, a Russian trailer sank in the Okhotsk Sea in front of Kamchatka. Of the 132 people aboard the Dalniy Vostok, only 63 were rescued.
In December 2011, a drilling rig capsized and sank from Sakhalin Island during a storm. More than 50 people were killed or missing.