Two people die aboard floating crane that sank near Yalta

Two people have died as a floating crane was hauled in the Kerch Strait that connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, a source in the regional emergency services said.

"The incident occurred at 03.40 Moscow Time. The tugboat was hauling the floating crane, which sank due to unfavorable weather conditions. There were 7 people aboard, fiveof them were rescued, two others sank," the source said, adding that the crane was on its way from Port Kavkaz to Sevastopol.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry’s department in Crimea reported earlier in the day that the floating crane heading for the port in the city of Kerch (in the east of Crimea) had sunk four kilometers off the coast near the settlement of Livadiya on Wednesday. 

According to preliminary data, the crane sank due to bad weather, TASS reports.