A South Korean fishing boat sank off the coast of Russia in the Bering Sea on Monday, leaving one person dead and another 52 missing, officials said.
The fishing trawler Oryong 501 carrying a crew of 60 did not send a distress signal before sinking off the coast of the Chukotka peninsula, located on Russia's northeastern tip, according to the BBC.
"The ship tilted slowly after taking in water, forcing crew members to abandon it," a Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries spokeswoman told the Agence France-Presse.
Seven people have so far been rescued but search efforts have been deterred due to severe weather, South Korean officials told AFP. Crew members included 35 Indonesians, 13 Filipinos, 11 South Koreans and a Russian inspector. The victim was a Korean sailor, according to AFP.
"The search is continuing. But it is starting to get dark in the sector and there has been a storm," Artur Rets, head of the sea rescue effort in the Kamchatka region, told AFP.
The cause of the incident was not immediately clear.
The ship, reportedly built about 40 years ago, is operated by Sajo Industries.
Monday's incident comes three weeks after several senior crew members were convicted and sentenced for negligence during the sinking of a South Korean ferry in April, which left more than 200 high school students dead.
