Eleven crewmembers of the Russian schooner Yoshi maru-31, which sank off Kunashir on Thursday morning, have been rescued in Kunashir Strait, Itar-Tass reports. Two dead bodies have been also found. One fisherman is reported missing. The crew of the sunken schooner had 14 members.
According to Olga Shekhovtseva, press secretary of the Sakhalin Region center for emergencies, a helicopter has joined in the search for the missing fisherman. It is surveying the strait in the area of Cape Spiridonov on Kunashir Island.
Rescuers' verified data have it that the Yoshi maru-31 schooner sank at 09:10, Sakhalin time, on Thursday at a distance of 3.5 miles from the shore. The search operation is also involving two fishing boats, the Peak Hope and the RSH-2481.