Crew feared dead as Russian oil drilling rig sinks

AN oil drilling rig with 67 crew on board capsized and sank off the Russian far eastern island of Sakhalin yesterday when it ran into a storm while being towed, leaving 49 of the crew unaccounted for, the regional Emergencies Ministry said.

Fourteen crew members were rescued alive from the “Kolskaya” jack-up rig, operated by Russian offshore exploration company Arktikmornefte-gazrazvedka (AMNGR), and four bodies were recovered. The rest of the crew were missing.

“The floating drilling rig capsized 200 kilometers off the coast of Sakhalin island at 12.45 local time (0145 GMT),” the Emergencies Ministry said in a statement.