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Eleven more bodies recovered after Russian drilling rig capsizes

© Photo : OJSC ArktikmorneftegazrazvedkaThe Kolskaya drilling rig. Archive
The Kolskaya drilling rig. Archive - Sputnik International
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The bodies of 11 more people have been recovered after Russia’s Kolskaya oil rig capsized in the Sea of Okhotsk on December 18, a spokesman for rescuers at the scene said on Monday.

The bodies of 11 more people have been recovered after Russia’s Kolskaya oil rig capsized in the Sea of Okhotsk on December 18, a spokesman for rescuers at the scene said on Monday.

The Kolskaya drilling rig was being towed in a severe storm when it overturned and sank some 200 km (125 miles) off Russia's Sakhalin Island early on Sunday. Of the 67 people onboard, 14 have been rescued and 37 more are listed as missing. The death toll now stands at 16 people.

The families of each of those who perished in the tragedy will receive at least 3 million rubles ($93,640) in compensation, said Yuri Melekhov, director of Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka, the company that owns the rig.

“We will render financial support to the families of those who died and those who were rescued," Melekhov said. The families of the deceased will each receive 3 million rubles, he said. "Perhaps that amount will be increased,” Melekhov said.

The Kommersant business daily said on Monday that about a half of all people onboard the oil rig were not authorized to be there. According to regulations, only the captain and a minimal part of the crew needed for the transportation process are allowed to be onboard when the rig is being towed.

Melekhov emphasized that the Kolskaya was properly functioning and underwent a thorough overhaul this year.

The drilling rig, built in 1985 in Finland, was carrying out work under a contract with energy giant Gazprom. The rig, which is 69 meters long and 80 meters wide, can accommodate up to 102 people.

Four vessels, an An-74 plane and two helicopters are involved in search and rescue efforts.

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