Rescuers in the Russian Far East evacuated on Saturday 11 passengers from a refrigerator ship in distress off Sakhalin, a local emergencies spokesman said.
The Smolninsky vessel signaled its distress 220 km off the village of Nogliki in the Sea of Okhotsk on Friday. According to preliminary reports, there were 30 crew members on board, all of them Russians.
"A Mi-8 helicopter owned by the Aviashelf company was sent to the site of the accident amid better weather conditions on Saturday, and 11 passengers have been evacuated," the spokesman said.
The Degtyarsk vessel and a tug boat involved in oil and gas projects off Sakhalin have also been summoned.
In 2008, four vessels were trapped in the ice in the Sea of Okhotsk, and nine sailors were evacuated.
YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, January 23 (RIA Novosti)
