The dry cargo ship Geroi Arsenala that headed from the Russian seaport of Azov to Turkey with a cargo of grain, cracked in two and sank in the Black Sea in the area of the Kerch Strait.
Of the 12 crew members, nine were Ukrainians, two Russians, including the captain, and one citizen of Georgia, Russia's Interfax reported with reference to the press service of Rosmorrechflot.
Only one member of the crew was reported saved while the others were missing, a representative of the Crimean Emergency Situations Ministry told Interfax.
"One crewmember was brought aboard, another four were seen in the water, but because of the high waves and gusts of wind they disappeared from view. At the moment, rescue workers comb the sea surface to find those people who were previously seen. There is no information about the remaining members of the crew, the search continues," the source said.
The rescued crewmember is named Chernenko, a Ukrainian, RBC wrote with reference to the press service of Rosmorrechflot.
Meanwhile, two Russian helicopters are engaged in the rescue operation along with six vessels. The coast in the east of Crimea is combed by three dozen rescuers.
Six divers, two units of equipment and the underwater vehicle Falcon were sent to the place of the shipwreck.
Geroi Arsenala, a dry cargo ship, owned by a Turkish company registered in the Marshall Islands, disappeared from radars early on Wednesday in the vicinity of the Kerch crossing to Crimea
The ship has previously sent a distress signal. The shipwreck happened about 15 miles from the Taman settlement in the stormy conditions with the waves were 3 m high and gusts of wind up to 20 mps.