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The bodies of three citizens of Vanuatu, who died as a result of the Dalniy Vostok fishing trawler sinking in the Sea of Okhotsk, were sent home with a charter flight, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk told RIA Novosti, according to Sputnik.

The Dalniy Vostok fishing freezer trawler sank in the Sea of Okhotsk shortly before midnight on April 1. There were 132 people on board the vessel, including 54 foreigners. Rescue teams lifted a total of 119 people from the water, 57 of them had died. Twelve people are still missing, but the authorities of the Sakhalin Region have declared 5 of them dead.

"The bodies of the sailors from Vanuatu were sent home at around 7 p.m. local time [09:00 GMT] on Sunday. They will be transferred home through South Korea. Therefore, all the foreign survivors and the victims of the sunken trawler are sent home," the representative said.

A criminal case has been opened and an investigation into the accident is underway. There are over 10 possible theories as to why the Dalniy Vostok trawler sank, but, according to acting Sakhalin governor Oleg Kozhemyako, the accident was likely caused by the crew's failure to comply with safety regulations. Other versions of the incident are being verified.