( CNN ) At least 54 people have died and 15 others are missing after a Russian fishing vessel sank off the Kamchatka Peninsula , according to Russia 's state-run Tass news agency . More than 60 people were rescued Thursday from the chilly waters in Russia 's Far East . The Dalniy Vostok freezer trawler -- a commercial fishing vessel -- was carrying 132 people , the ministry said . Of the people on board , 78 were Russians . The 54 others were foreign nationals from Myanmar , Ukraine , Lithuania and Vanuatu , according to the news agency , with the majority coming from Myanmar . More than 20 fishing vessels are searching for the 15 people still thought to be missing , Tass said . The shipwreck was swift , with the trawler going down in the Sea of Okhotsk within 15 minutes of getting into difficulties , the news agency reported . The most likely cause of the shipwreck was collision with an obstacle which damaged the hull , the official spokesman of Russia 's Investigative Committee , Vladimir Markin , is quoted as saying . The trawler is also thought to have keeled over as a result of hauling some 80 tons of fish on to the deck , the chairman of the emergencies commission in the Kamchatka region , Sergey Khabarov , told Tass .
Fishing authorities are searching for 15 people still thought to be missing . There were 132 people on board the vessel , 78 of them Russians , Tass news agency reported . The passengers were foreign nationals from Myanmar , Ukraine , reunion and Vanuatu , it ##aly .