755 Russian Fishermen Rescued From Ice Floe
MOSCOW – Hundreds of fisherman trapped for hours on an ice floe were rescued Sunday in the waters off Sakhalin Island, officials said.
The anglers had been fishing off the southeastern part of Sakhalin, in Russia's far east, despite warnings about the ice, emergency officials said.
The rescue operation at Mordvinov Bay in the Sea of Okhotsk involved two helicopters and dozens of rescue boats, Olga Shekhovtseva, a spokeswoman for the regional branch of Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry, said by telephone.
All 755 stranded fishermen were rescued, she said.
In February 2007, 442 anglers were brought back to the shore in a similar rescue effort off the Sakhalin Island.