An eyewitness to the shipwreck in the Kerch Strait told details of the incident

The wreck of the vessels "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239" was caused by strong storm waves. A sailor who took part in the raid near the sunken ships told Izvestia on December 15.

"Breaking [the ships] in half began in the morning today because of strong storm waves. The tank separated and so did the stern," the interlocutor said.

He specified that due to the strong storm with waves of 2-3 meters rescuers were unable to get close to the board. According to the interlocutor, there were elderly people on board, who could not quickly jump to the rescue tugboat. In this regard, the sailor noted, the decision was made on board to use the main engines to get closer to the shore and run aground.

He said that after some time a helicopter of the Ministry of Emergency Situations arrived, which brought seven people on board. Six people, he said, were taken away by tugboats. The sailor added that the rest jumped into the water as the ship began to rise vertically and sink.

It became known earlier in the day that the tanker Volgoneft 212 was in distress due to bad weather in the Kerch Bay. The signal of the tanker's distress to the Ministry of Emergency Situations came in the morning. In that area were observed strong squally wind and sea excitement up to 7 points. Some time later it became known about the damage of the second tanker. In the main Directorate (GU) of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol reported that more than 50 people and 11 units of equipment are involved in the elimination of the incident.

Later, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said that the Volgoneft-212 ran aground, while the Volgoneft-239 went adrift after sustaining damage.