PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, September 24 (Itar-Tass) — The sinking of the West transport refrigerator in the Sea of Okhotsk Sea off the coast of Kamchatka occurred after a wave impact on the vessel’s starboard. After that the ship developed a list and sank, the press service of the Far Eastern Transport Investigation Department of Russia’s Investigative Committee (SK) told Itar-Tass.

The incident occurred on September 23 at about 20:00, Kamchatka time, at a distance of 4 miles from the coast in the area of the Oktyabrsky settlement of the Ust-Bolsheretsk district of the Kamchatka Territory.

The West vessel was performing a freight voyage from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to the Manily settlement. It had on board 10 people and more than 49 tonnes of general cargo. On September 23 in the evening the vessel capsized and sank. Eight crewmembers were rescued. The fate of two others is still unknown.

On Monday, during the day the search for the missing crewmembers was conducted from a Mi-8 helicopter of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry (EMERCOM) and sea vessels that sail in the incident area. The search party has found a life raft and a boat from the sunken ship, but no people were in the boat. The search operation continues.

Criminal proceedings under Article 263, part 2 of the RF Criminal Code (violation of safety rules and operation of water transport, resulting in the death of two or more people by negligence) have been instituted over the sinking of the West transport refrigerator in the Sea of Okhotsk off the coast of Kamchatka.