The captain of a Russian trawler that sank Friday off northern Norway died, while the other 16 crew members were rescued, Norwegian emergency services said, according to DPA. The captain and another crew member were picked up from the icy waters and flown by helicopter to Tromso on the mainland, a spokesman for the northern Norwegian Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said. The captain was later reported dead while the crew member was in intensive care, the University Hospital in Tromso said. The other 15, who had boarded a rescue raft, were taken onboard a Russian vessel that was in the area. The 15 were later taken to Tromso for a check-up and initial reports suggested no immediate physical injuries. They were to be flown to Murmansk later Friday. All 17 crew members were believed to be Russian nationals. Weather services reported that conditions in the area were poor but there was no immediate explaination why the 34-metre vessel went down.
