54 killed after trawler sinks

No fewer than 54 people have died after Russian freezer trawler, Dalniy Vostok sank off the Kamchatka peninsula at Russia's eastern edge.

According to Viktor Klepikov, coordinating captain of the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky maritime rescue coordination centre, 132 people had been aboard the trawler while 63 were rescued, with many suffering from hypothermia.

The captain of the vessel is also reported to be among the dead while 15 people are reported as missing.

An officer on duty at the local maritime rescue coordination centre also said:

"All in all 106 people have been taken aboard the ships participating in the rescue operation, twenty-six fishing vessels are already involved in the operation".

According to BBC,  drifting ice may have torn the vessel allowing water flood the engine compartment. The trawler sank within 15 minutes.

Reports say 78 Russian nationals were on board, as well as 54 foreign nationals from Myanmar, Ukraine, Lithuania and Vanuatu.