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Russian fishing trawler sinks in Barents Sea, 17 feared dead

A Russian fishing vessel in the far-northern Barents Sea sank on Monday, apparently due to being loaded down with ice, with 17 crew members assumed dead and two surviving. The vessel, the Onega, registered in the Murmansk region, is believed to have capsized because of the ice accumulation.

Reuters WORLD
Published December 28,2020
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A fishing trawler sank in the northern Barents Sea on Monday, the emergencies ministry said, and 17 people were feared dead off the coast of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago.

Rescue vessels were searching for survivors but only two people had been rescued out of a 19-member crew, the ministry said.

Authorities said an ice accumulation on the trawler had led to its sinking.

A source told Interfax said crew members had been washed over the trawler's deck during a storm. TASS cited a source as saying the missing crew were feared dead.