56 drown as trawler ‘sinks in 15 minutes’

A Russian fishing trawler has sunk in just 15 minutes in the icy waters off Russia’s Far East coast, killing at least 56 of its 132 crew members.

The massive trawler Dalny Vostok sank about 4am local time in the Sea of Okhotsk off the Kamchatka Peninsula. It did not send a distress signal prior to the sinking.

Emergency services in Kamchatka, citing the head of the rescue operation, said 63 crew members were rescued, but the fate of the remaining 13 crew members was unknown.