Four Russian sailors found dead so far in shipwreck

The South Korean rescuers spotted two dead sailors in the territorial waters of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday, bringing the death toll of Russian shipwreck to four, the press service of the Russian Transport Ministry said.

The Russian rescue ship Yuri Orlenko found another dead sailor early in the morning and took the body on board.

The Russian Foreign Ministry is negotiating with the DPRK the problem of issuance a permission to the Yuri Orlenko rescue ship to cross into the DPRK's territorial waters.

Fifteen out of the 18 Russian crew members of the Russian dry cargo ship Sinegorye, which sank in the Sea of Japan on Monday, about 128 km away from the South Korean coast, including 11 alive and four dead, have been found in the area of the shipwreck. Three sailors are still missing.

The rescued sailors are in good condition, the rescuers told the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry's Far East regional center.

All the rescued men have been taken to hospitals in the town of Kangnung on the eastern coast and in the port of Pyonghae.

Medics in Kangnung was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying that two seamen have been released already and are staying in a local hotel on Wednesday.

Earlier reports said that the Sinegorye, which was carrying logs, sank after being damaged during a storm when its cargo was torn loose. The ship was sailing from Primorye to China.

Source: Xinhua