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Merkel sends telegram of condolences to Putin on Russian trawler tragedy

The German Chancellor said she was shocked when she heard the news about the shipwreck off the Kamchatka Peninsula and expressed her sincere sympathy
German Chancellor EPA/TASS
German Chancellor
© EPA/TASS

BERLIN, April 2. /TASS/. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has sent a telegram of condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin following the tragic sinking of Russian trawler in the Sea of Okhotsk, the German government said on Thursday.

Merkel said she was shocked when she heard the news about the shipwreck off the Kamchatka Peninsula.

"I want to express to you the sincere sympathy. I ask you to send my condolences both to those who have been directly affected (by the tragedy) and also the relatives of the victims," the telegram reads.

"I wish quick recovery to the injured," she said.

The Dalny Vostok freezer trawler wrecked in the Sea of Okhotsk 330 kilometers west of Krutogorovsky settlement (Kamchatka region) and 250 kilometers south of the city of Magadan early on Thursday.

The trawler, owned by Magellan LLC, was built in 1989 and its home port was Nevelsk.

A total of 132 people were reportedly on board, including foreigners. 56 people have died and another 63 have been rescued. Another 13 people are missing.