On the occasion of Russian boat ‘Tolstoy’ wreckage on Saturday off Bulgaria`s Black Sea coast with all crew members missing, President Victor Yushchenko addressed Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Volodymyr Ohryzko with an instruction. According to the President`s press-office, he ordered to apply all necessary measures to investigate what happened to Ukrainian sailors and provide them with necessary help.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the Tolstoy, which carried 2,500 tones of scrap metal and was sailing from Russia to Turkey, sank early on Saturday some 12 miles off Cape Emine on Bulgaria`s Black Sea coast. It issued no SOS call, officials said.
Seven Bulgarian ships and a helicopter are taking part in the rescue operations on Sunday but have found only two survivors so far. Efforts to save the crew were hampered by stormy conditions on Saturday.
The vessel was owned by an Ukrainian company and sailed under the North Korean flag, Bulgarian authorities said.
