VIDEO: How Russian rescuers evacuated 40 fishermen stranded on an ice floe

Rescuers today evacuated 40 fishermen using a helicopter, who had found themselves on a drifting ice floe in the south of Sakhalin. This was reported by the TASS news agency.

“Employees of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) carried out the helicopter evacuation of 40 fishermen off the coast near the village of Lesnoye in Sakhalin region,” representatives of the ministry's press service informed reporters.

The rescue operations are continuing 1.5 to 2 kilometers from the point of separation amid severe weather conditions marked by strong winds. Earlier, TASS reported that around 50 amateur fishermen were stranded on the ice floe off the coast near the village of Lesnoye in the south of Sakhalin.