More bodies found after oil rig sinks in southeastern Russia

More bodies found after oil rig sinks in southeastern Russia

2011-12-21 08:36:24 GMT+7 (ICT)

VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA (BNO NEWS) -- Nearly a dozen more bodies were found on Monday after an oil rig sank in southeastern Russia on Sunday, local media reported on Tuesday. Dozens more remain missing and are feared to have been killed.

The Kolskaya drilling rig sank in the Sea of Okhotsk while it was being towed by the 'Neftegaz 55' tugboat, which was being led by the Magadan icebreaker from the Kamchatka Peninsula to Sakhalin Island.

According to a spokesman for the rescuers, eleven more bodies were recovered on Monday, raising the confirmed death toll to 16. A total of 14 people were earlier rescued, while 37 others remain missing and are presumed to have drowned.

The port of Murmansk has been identified as the owner of the Arctic sea oil and gas prospecting company, which operates the Kolskaya drilling rig. Investigators believe that safety regulations regarding towing operations may have been violated or ignored even though a severe storm affected the area at the time.

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