The bodies of sailors who lost their lives after two vessels caught fire in the Kerch Strait, may not reach India soon due to “pending formalities", an Indian Express report quoted authorities as saying.
According to the report, shipping authorities too, have expressed reservations regarding the retrieval of bodies.
“As there was a collision, we do not know in what state we will find the bodies. It is very unlikely that we will find them intact,” the report quoted a DG Shipping official as saying.
Two Tanzanian-flagged commercial vessels had caught fire in the Black Sea, leaving at least 14 sailors dead, Russian officials said on Monday, 21 January. Five other sailors were still missing.
The Federal Agency for the Sea and River Transport said the fire erupted while fuel was being pumped from one tanker to another. The blaze spread from one ship to the other, prompting the crews to jump overboard, according to Russian news agencies cited by the Associated Press.
The news agencies quoted the federal maritime agency as saying the two vessels had 31 crew members combined who are citizens of Turkey and India.
However, the Indian authorities said six sailors were killed, four were rescued and six are still missing, The Indian Express reported.
Videos of the incident circulating on social media show clouds of black smoke over a vessel engulfed by a blaze. Another ship can be seen floating nearby.
The maritime agency reportedly said the salvage teams saved 12 crew members, correcting its earlier report that 14 sailors have been rescued. It said that 11 bodies were taken from the sea, adding that rescuers saw another three dead but failed to recover them.
The Russian navy joined the rescue operation, deploying two of its ships, AP further reported.
The fire erupted while the two vessels, the Maestro and the Candy, were anchored near the Kerch Strait linking the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
(With inputs from the Associated Press)
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