Seamen drown as ship sinks in rough seas
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23005531-401,00.html
January 04, 2008 04:09am
The ship sank near the narrow Kerch Strait, between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, where a dozen vessels, some carrying oil products, went down or were damaged in a storm in November.
One Bulgarian seaman was rescued alive, Russian news agencies reported, but efforts to save more crew from the MV Vanessa were hampered by stormy conditions and rescuers stopped for the night.
News agency Interfax reported the rescued sailor as saying he saw four crew managing to reach a life raft, raising hopes more would be found alive.
But conditions overnight are expected to worsen, with winds of up to 24 metres per second and waves up to five metres tall, according to a Ukrainian weather agency.
Ukraine's Emergencies Ministry said three bodies had been found. Russian rescue headquarters in the port of Novorossiisk put the figure at four, RIA news agency reported.
