About 17 Russian fishermen on the move

Russia’s Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft with submarine acoustic capabilities were deployed from the Northern Fleet for the search and rescue mission to retrieve the fishermen. Two of the 19 crew members were rescued by a nearby fishing boat shortly after the crash.

“With grief and sorrow, I learned of the tragedy in the Barents Sea, which claimed the lives of the crew members,” Mr Putin wrote to the governor of Murmansk, where the ship was registered. “Convey my deepest condolences to the families of the victims.”

The search for the fishermen continued Monday afternoon, although the Ministry of Emergencies said rescuers were fighting the 13-foot-high waves and air temperatures below 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

The country has significantly improved its safety history of navigable vessels in recent years, although accidents still occur regularly in the icy waters of Russia, most recently in 2018, when a fishing boat sank in the Sea of ​​Japan and killed all 20 crew on board

The icy waters off the north coast of Russia are difficult for many boats to navigate due to ice and strong winds. Memories of sailors and fishermen lost at sea dot the north coast of the country.

Write to Thomas Grove to [email protected]

Corrections and amplifications
The Northern Fleet of Russia sent Il-38 anti-submarine planes in search of the missing fishermen. An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to the Il-38s as ships. (Corrected on December 28)