No sign of 52 missing from sunken trawler, empty lifeboats recovered

Seoul, Dec 2: South Korean officials say rescuers have found no trace of 52 people missing after a South Korean fishing boat sank off Russia's far-east coast.

Rescuers have recovered four empty lifeboats from the trawler, a Russian official said, as hope of finding the lost crew members fades.

"Four torn lifeboats were found," said Oleg Karev of the marine rescue centre in the port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky which is participating in the rescue mission.

Rescuers also saw one dead body floating in the area but were not able to recover it due to storm conditions, he said.

The ferry, operated by South Korea's Sajo Industries, went down in the western Bering Sea on Monday.

The trawler was carrying 60 people, including one Russian inspector, 11 South Koreans, 35 Indonesians and 13 Philippine crew members.

One Korean sailor was confirmed dead, while the Russian and six foreign crew members had been rescued.

"Overnight rescue efforts produced no tangible results and 52 people are still missing," a Sajo Industries spokesman said.

Four ships, including two associated with Sajo, had been combing the site, the spokesman said, but the search was hampered by poor weather conditions and rough seas.

"We still don't really know how many may have managed to take to the life boats," he said.

The 36-year-old trawler was fishing for pollock when it sank in stormy weather.