Hopes fade for missing in Russia rig

MOSCOW - The Associated Press

Hope was running out yesterday for scores of oil workers missing for more than a day in remote, freezing waters off Russia’s east coast after their floating platform capsized and sank during a severe storm. 

 Maria Dubrovskya, spokeswoman for the Emergencies Ministry in Russia’s Far East, said rescue workers have pulled out 10 bodies from the Sea of Okhotsk. Russian news agencies are reporting that more bodies have been seen in the water. Of the 67 men aboard, 14 were plucked alive from the icy waters immediately after the accident.

Forty-three are still listed as missing but chances of their survival are negligible as the water temperature in the area is 1 degree Celsius. The rig’s owner claimed that a life raft with 15 people has been spotted in the area.