VLADIVOSTOK, Russia, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Sixteen people from a capsized Russian oil rig were confirmed dead, dozens were missing and rescuers searched the Okhotsk Sea for survivors, officials said.
The Kolskaya drilling rig was being towed in a severe storm Sunday when it overturned and sank about 125 miles off Russia's Sakhalin Island in the western Pacific Ocean.
There were 67 people on board. Fourteen were rescued as of Monday, RIA Novosti reported.
Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka, the company that owns the oil rig, said families of the victims will receive compensation.
The Kommersant newspaper said only the captain and a minimal crew were supposed to be on board during the towing process. The drilling rig, which was working on a contract for energy giant Gazprom, can accommodate up to 102 people.
