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Search for two missing men from Solovki monastery resumed

According to the spokesman, a Mi-8 helicopter has joined the operation

ARKHANGELSK, October 17 (Itar-Tass) — A search operation has been resumed in Russia’s northern White Sea for two men from the Solovki monastery missing since October 13, a spokesman for the regional emergencies administration told Itar-Tass on Monday.

According to the spokesman, a Mi-8 helicopter has joined the operation. Rescuers on boats are also inspecting coastal territories on nearby islands.

The accident was reported to the Arkhangelsk emergencies centre at about 23:00 Moscow time on Saturday by the Father Superior of the Solovki Monastery. He said that a monk, 48, and a monastery worker, 27, on October 13 had taken a high-speed boat to reach the town of Kem, the Republic of Karelia. The last contact with them was two hours after they left. They had life jackets and drinking water aboard. According to rescuers, it takes 40 minutes to travel to Kem in good weather and two hours in bad weather.

“The weather was bad at the moment, and the Albatros-610 boat taken by the men was not fit for sea trips,” the spokesman said.

On Sunday night, a wrecked boat was found near the island of Russky Kuzov. The boat is believed to be the one used by the two missing men.

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