A special operation to rescue three fishing vessels frozen in ice in the northern Sea of Okhotsk will begin early on January 4, Russia's Transport Minister Igor Levitin said on Sunday.
The Russian ice-breaker Magadan is already at the scene of the accident, some three miles away from the concentration of the fishing vessels while the Admiral Makarov ice breaker will arrive at the scene at 07:00-08:00 a.m. Moscow time on Tuesday, Levitin said.
The minister said all the three fishing vessels had sufficient fuel, food and water supplies and the ministry maintained constant communication with them.
He emphasized that the life of the fishermen is out of danger.
Sergei Klyavin, director of the ministry's department for state policy in maritime and river transport, has said there are 432 people aboard the fishing vessels.
MOSCOW, January 2 (RIA Novosti)
