A freezer trawler has sunk in a peninsula off the coast of Russia , killing at least 56 crew members . A massive rescue operation involving more than 1,300 people is now underway after the ship , carrying an international crew of 132 , sank in the Sea of Okhotsk in just 15 minutes . Rescued crew members reported that the ship , called the Dalny Vostock , was unstable because of empty fuel tanks and a lack of ballast as it sailed through the Kamchatka Peninsula . The Russian freezer trawler , called the Dalny Vostok , that sank while carrying 132 crew members at 4am on Thursday morning local time . At least 54 bodies have been recovered in the huge rescue operation . Map showing the location of the disaster . There are 13 members of the crew are still missing after the trawler tipped over when a fishing net was pulled in , a regional governor told Russian television on Thursday . It tipped over when a fishing net weighing 80 tons was pulled in , said Oleg Kozhemyako , acting governor of the nearby Sakhalin region . Kozhemyako 's comments on Russian television came after the federal Investigative Committee said it was considering all possible causes for the sinking , but it was likely that the trawler hit 'an object ' floating in the sea , perhaps drifting ice . More than 26 fishing boats in the area have helped to rescue members of the crew , but have also recovered 56 bodies . The disaster happened at around 4am local time , and the trawler did not send any distress signals before it sank , the Interfax News Agency said . Early reports added that the Dalny Vostok sank in just 15 minutes after its engine compartment had been flooded . So far 63 people have been rescued , with survivors suffering from hypothermia and other injuries being airlifted to hospital . At the latest count there are 13 people still missing . An emergency services representative told local media that two of the bodies were found on Thursday evening - one in a lifeboat 105 kilometres ( 65 miles ) away , and the other in the water nearby . Those saved had managed to get into lifeboats and some had put on wet suits . The Russian Emergencies Ministry sent an Mi-8 helicopter with rescuers and doctors aboard to treat and transport rescued crew members to hospitals in the city of Magadan , it said on its website . A rescuer uses a satellite phone while onboard a helicopter as they fly over the Sea of Okhotsk scouring the waters for survivors . Around 1,300 fishermen and emergency staff are involved in the rescue operation . A Russian Emergencies Ministry ship looks for survivors after the Dalny Vostock sank . Temperatures in the water can dip to as low as -2 degrees celsius , and so far it is confirmed that 56 crew members have drowned . A telephone hotline for families of the crew has also been set up . Among the 132 crew members , 78 are from Russia , 42 from Myanmar and the rest from Latvia , Ukraine and Vanuatu . Pyotr Osichansky , president of the Far Eastern Association of Sea Captains , told Russian television that when the trawler last docked in Russia , in January , it had fewer than 70 crew members . The additional crew members were most likely picked up in Pusan , South Korea , and were working illegally , he said . The Sea of Okhotsk is the coldest sea in East Asia with the air temperature plummeting to -20 degrees Celsius in the winter months . Following the tragedy 63 people have been rescued , but the bodies of 56 sailors have been pulled from the freezing sea . Early reports say the trawler sank in 15 minutes when its engine room was flooded . Between October and April the area the area is 'constantly ' covered with ice and there is very little rain , according to Encyclopedia Britannica . Survivors of the incident are reportedly being interviewed as well as the owners of the trawler , as the police start investigating the disaster . It is understood they are questioning whether there was a violation of safety procedures that led to more deaths , a report in Russia Today said . The 100-metre long trawler was built in 1989 and was equipped to freeze and can fish .
Trawler was carrying 132 crew members when it sank in Okhotsk of Sea . Fishing boats in the area have helped emergency services with rescue . At least 56 people have died after ship sank in just 15 minutes . Okhotsk is coldest in East Asia with air temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius .