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No open fire seen on one of two tankers in distress in Kerch Strait, risk of blast remains

The search for ten missing sailors is continuing

KRASNODAR, January 23. /TASS/. Rescue workers on Wednesday noticed no open fire on one of the two distressed tankers in the Kerch Strait after flying over the area on a Mi-8 helicopter, the Emergency Ministry’s southern regional search and rescue force told TASS.

The tankers the Maestro and the Candy owned by a Turkish company, caught fire outside Russia’s territorial waters on January 21, apparently when fuel was being pumped from one ship to another.

"Rescuers flew over the area to see that one ship is still on fire, while no open flames can be seen on the other," the rescue team said adding that no missing sailors were spotted during the flight.

Russia’s Sea and Inland Waterways Transport Agency Rosmorrechflot has said in Simferopol there still exists the risk the tankers may blow up and sink.

According to earlier reports, on January 22 rescuers conducted air reconnaissance of the Black Sea in the area of the incident to find no traces of life rafts or boats. There had been seventeen sailors on the Candy (nine Turkish and eight Indian citizens), and fifteen sailors (both Turkish and Indian citizens) on the Maestro. Twelve survivors were rescued. Ten bodies were picked up. The search for ten missing sailors is continuing.