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Russian trawler sinks off Estonian coast, crew rescued — media

All of the trawler’s crew members were Russian nationals, according to the news website

TALLINN, February 7. /TASS/. A Russian fishing trawler sank off the coast of Estonia overnight into Friday, seven crew members were rescued, the ERR news website reported.

According to ERR, Estonia’s Police and Border Guard Board received a distress call from the vessel at 23:40 (21:40 GMT) on Thursday. The trawler "was suffering a rudder malfunction with two sections of the vessel flooded," the news website quoted the board’s spokesperson as saying.

Estonia carried out a rescue operation together with Finland, informing all vessels in the vicinity of the trawler in distress. A tanker flying the Liberian flag was the first to come to its rescue. "The crew were discovered in a life raft and wearing life jackets, and winched to safety," ERR said.

Two crew members, said to be injured, were airlifted to the hospital by a Finnish rescue helicopter, while an Estonian police helicopter took the other five to a clinic for a medical check-up.

The news website pointed out that all of the trawler’s crew members were Russian nationals.