Russian tanker sinks in Caspian

A Russian tanker carrying waste water has sunk in the Caspian Sea with 12 crew on board, only six of whom have been rescued, the local emergencies ministry said Friday as quoted by news agencies.
Two crew members, and then another four, were rescued from two dinghies in which they had been on the open sea after their vessel sank four days before, the ministry officials said.
Five rescue ships and helicopters were dispatched to the area of the accident, some 85 kilometres (55 miles) from the coast of Kazakhstan.
Initial reports said the tanker, Akusha, based in the port of Makhachkala in the Russian republic of Dagestan, had been carrying crude oil. But officials later clarified that it had waste water onboard.