Russian Cargo Ship Goes Missing

A Russian cargo ship with 11 crew members on board has gone missing off of Russia’s Pacific coast while it was traveling through rough seas.

The ship, Amurskoe, was traveling to the Shantar Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk, located above Japan’s Hokkaido island, reported AFP.

“Right now the weather conditions are bad, and small boats cannot work in the area,” an emergency spokeswoman told the news agency.

The vessel was carrying ore from a mine in the Okhotsk region when it sent out a distress signal early on Sunday, reported state-run RT.

The Novik tanker arrived first in the zone of where the ship would be, but found no shipwreck or any signs that one had occurred, according to RT.

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said the area was experiencing bad weather, including rain and snow, which put a damper on rescue efforts.

The weather prevented smaller planes from taking part in the operation, RT said.

There is a possibility that the ship’s distress beacon washed overboard and activated itself and the ship is still en route to its destination.

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