Seven survivors from Russian sunken jack-up rig arrive in Korsakov port
The tugboat Naftogaz-55 with 7 rescued workers from sunken jack-up rig Kolskaya today, December 20, 2011, called at the port of Korsakov, the regional Sakhalin Emergencies Ministry said. After the medical examination the rescued people will be taken to their homes.
Currently, there are two vessels, the icebreaker Magadan and the PSV Smit Sakhalin, participating in search and rescue operation in the Sea of Okhotsk. The Atlas salvage ship is expected to be at the site tomorrow.
The weather conditions in the area are still favorable, the sea with a swell of 1 m and breezes of 11-20 kn. However, on Dec. 23 the conditions are forecast to deteriorate, the Ministry said.
During the day, the AN-74 aircraft of the EMERCOM’s Far East Rescue Center with two Mi-8 helicopters of the Emergencies Ministry and Aviashelf were conducting a fly-over of the search area.
Rescue teams have so far rescued 14 people and recovered 11 bodies of total 67 workers from the Kolskaya jack-up drilling rig, which capsized and sank while under tow in a storm in the Sea of Okhotsk, 200 km off Sakhalin Island.
