An oil tanker has split in half after facing stormy weather near Crimea, prompting a desperate rescue mission to save the crew members on board. The two cargo ships were left severely damaged following bad weather in the Kerch Strait,

Another tanker was also in distress after sustaining damage, Russian officials said. At least one person was killed.

A Russian tanker has sunk in the Kerch Strait during a violent Black Sea storm, killing one seafarer and causing an oil spill. Russian news agency Ria Novosti, citing official sources, said a second vessel in distress, the Volgoneft 239, was drifting and ran aground about 80 metres from the shore near the port of Taman.