MOSCOW, January 29. /TASS/. The active phase of the search for the Vostok vessel that was lost in the Sea of Japan has ended, as there is no hope to find the crew members alive, the Vladivostok Maritime Rescue and Coordination Center told TASS.
"Today at 20:00 local time (13:00 Moscow time) the active phase of the search has ended due to the absence of any sensible hope to find the people alive. The further search will be carried out by vessels passing through this area," the center representative reported.
He noted that the search was carried out for five days. The Russian Emergencies Ministry aircraft scoured more than 26,600 square kilometers of water area and a total of about 40,000 square kilometers regarding the vessels’ operation. A few objects from the missing vessel and two life rafts without people were found during the operation. The search and rescue team had to work in storm conditions all the time.
On January 25, an emergency radio beacon belonging to the Vostok fishing vessel went off 200 km south of Gamov Cape. The vessel, built in 1985, is assigned to the port of Nevelsk and is operated by the DV-Flot company. It is 53.32 meters long, 8.7 meters wide, its hull height is 3.75 meters and deadweight capacity is 370 tonnes. There were 20 people aboard the ship.