Two Russian cargo ships are in distress near Crimea following bad weather

Two Russian cargo ships carrying oil products are in distress following bad weather in the Kerch Strait between mainland Russia and annexed Crimea, the country’s ministry of emergency situations said Sunday.

A helicopter rescue team has flown to the site of one of the vessels, “Volgoneft 212,” which was damaged after running aground, prompting crew to request assistance, the ministry said. The ship’s 13-strong crew has been evacuated, the ministry added. One person is known to have died.

A second cargo ship, “Volgoneft 239,” went adrift after sustaining damage in the same region, the ministry said. The second vessel has 14 people on board.

“The operational headquarters is working. More than 50 specialists and 11 units of equipment are already involved in the response. Further information is being clarified,” the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry added that the extent of a possible oil spill is being assessed.

A video circulating on unofficial Ukrainian and Russian Telegram channels appears to show a large cargo ship snapped in two, with water spilling over the edge of the top deck of the vessel as choppy waves rock it from side to side.

The bow of a ship, which can be seen in the background of the video, has broken off and appears just above the water line. Crew members can be seen wearing lifejackets as the camera spins around.

Ukraine has regularly targeted Russian infrastructure in or near Crimea, a territory it is seeking to recapture after it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, but there is no suggestion that the incidents are conflict-related.