49 Russians still struggling in icy waters after oil rig capsizes

[ via Taiwan News ] 19 Dec

Rescuers are making efforts to search for 49 men, struggling with the extremely harsh conditions in freezing, icy waters off Russia's east coast after their oil rig capsized and sank due to fierce storms.

By nightfall Sunday, four men had been confirmed dead, 14 others had been plucked alive from the churning, icy waters by the ship that had been towing the Kolskaya drilling platform. But the search for the remaining men was hampered by freezing temperatures, a driving blizzard and strong winds.


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Russian drilling rig sinks off Sakhalin leaves 2 dead and 51 missing

[ via Reuters ] 18 Dec

An oil drilling rig with 67 crew on board capsized and sank off the Russian Far East island of Sakhalin when it ran into a storm while being towed, and 51 of the crew were unaccounted for, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday.

Fourteen crew members were rescued alive from the 'Kolskaya' jack-up rig, operated by Russian exploration company Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka, two bodies were recovered and the rest of the crew were missing.

It appeared that the vessel had not been doing drilling work, so no oil spill was likely. The rig's destination was not immediately clear.

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