MOSCOW, March 10 (RIA Novosti) - At least 15 fishermen went drifting on ice in the Gulf of Finland in northwestern Russia, rescuers said.
"Preliminary reports suggest about 15 fishermen have gone missing on the ice outside St. Petersburg," a spokesman for the local rescue services said, adding that a motorboat and a team of rescuers have been sent to the site.
Despite warnings from rescue services, catching fish from ice-holes remains a favorite pastime for Russian fishermen in winter. The latest incident occurred on the Volga in mid-January when rescuers saved more than 60 fishermen stranded on drifting ice.
