20 sailors still missing in Black Sea

MOSCOW, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Searchers scoured the Black Sea Tuesday looking for 20 sailors missing in the wake of a violent weekend gale that scuttled at least three ships.

More than 700 people were involved in the search, although hopes for the missing mariners were fading.

Three sailors were confirmed dead after the storm and weather conditions remained harsh in the region, CNN reported.

Those still missing were from two freighters that went down in the northern half of the sea. The storm also grounded an oil tanker that broke up and spilled more than 1,000 tons of fuel oil.