1 dead in Japan ship tragedy

One Russian crew member is reportedly dead after a ship sunk in the Sea of Japan on Sunday during a heavy storm. The remaining 35 crew and passengers have been rescued.

“It’s important to listen to weather forecasts. I think if the captain knew about the storm he would’ve waited in a quiet cove for it to pass. Or perhaps he would’ve chosen a different route or even postponed the trip. It’s important to keep in mind that some things depend on the weather and not only on us,” said Nikolay Timoshenko, the head of the regional emergency service.

Kasper-1 was on its way from the port of Nakhodka in the Russian Far East to China when disaster struck. 30 members of the Russian crew and six passengers managed to escape in inflatable rafts. The ships carrying out the search-and-rescue operation at the site spent hours trying to locate the rafts and recover the people drifting on them.

“The first two rafts with 23 people on board were found on the day of the incident. And today the rescuers have located another raft. So, by now we know of 35 people who have been saved,” said Olga Alkina from the Far East regional emergencies.
Local authorities have launched a probe into the incident.