A freezer trawler has sunk in a peninsula off the coast of Russia, killing at least 56 crew members. A massive rescue operation involving more than 1,300 people is now underway after the ship, carrying an international crew of 132, sank in the Sea of Okhotsk in just 15 minutes. Rescued crew members reported that the ship, called the Dalny Vostock, was unstable because of empty fuel tanks and a lack of ballast as it sailed through the Kamchatka Peninsula. The Russian freezer trawler, called the Dalny Vostok, that sank while carrying 132 crew members at 4am on Thursday morning local time. At least 54 bodies have been recovered in the huge rescue operation . Map showing the location of the disaster. There are 13 members of the crew are still missing after the trawler tipped over when a fishing net was pulled in, a regional governor told Russian television on Thursday . It tipped over when a fishing net weighing 80 tons was pulled in, said Oleg Kozhemyako, acting governor of the nearby Sakhalin region. Kozhemyako's comments on Russian television came after the federal Investigative Committee said it was considering all possible causes for the sinking, but it was likely that the trawler hit 'an object' floating in the sea, perhaps drifting ice. More than 26 fishing boats in the area have helped to rescue members of the crew, but have also recovered 56 bodies. The disaster happened at around 4am local time, and the trawler did not send any distress signals before it sank, the Interfax News Agency said. Early reports added that the Dalny Vostok sank in just 15 minutes after its engine compartment had been flooded. So far 63 people have been rescued, with survivors suffering from hypothermia and other injuries being airlifted to hospital. At the latest count there are 13 people still missing. An emergency services representative told local media that two of the bodies were found on Thursday evening - one in a lifeboat 105 kilometres (65 miles) away, and the other in the water nearby. Those saved had managed to get into lifeboats and some had put on wet suits. The Russian Emergencies Ministry sent an Mi-8 helicopter with rescuers and doctors aboard to treat and transport rescued crew members to hospitals in the city of Magadan, it said on its website. A rescuer uses a satellite phone while onboard a helicopter as they fly over the Sea of Okhotsk scouring the waters for survivors. Around 1,300 fishermen and emergency staff are involved in the rescue operation . A Russian Emergencies Ministry ship looks for survivors after the Dalny Vostock sank. Temperatures in the water can dip to as low as -2 degrees celsius, and so far it is confirmed that 56 crew members have drowned . A telephone hotline for families of the crew has also been set up. Among the 132 crew members, 78 are from Russia, 42 from Myanmar and the rest from Latvia, Ukraine and Vanuatu. Pyotr Osichansky, president of the Far Eastern Association of Sea Captains, told Russian television that when the trawler last docked in Russia, in January, it had fewer than 70 crew members. The additional crew members were most likely picked up in Pusan, South Korea, and were working illegally, he said. The Sea of Okhotsk is the coldest sea in East Asia with the air temperature plummeting to -20 degrees Celsius in the winter months. Following the tragedy 63 people have been rescued, but the bodies of 56 sailors have been pulled from the freezing sea. Early reports say the trawler sank in 15 minutes when its engine room was flooded . Between October and April the area the area is 'constantly' covered with ice and there is very little rain, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Survivors of the incident are reportedly being interviewed as well as the owners of the trawler, as the police start investigating the disaster. It is understood they are questioning whether there was a violation of safety procedures that led to more deaths, a report in Russia Today said. The 100-metre long trawler was built in 1989 and was equipped to freeze and can fish.
Trawler was carrying 132 crew members when it sank in Sea of Okhotsk .
Fishing boats in the area have helped emergency services with rescue .
At least 56 people have died after ship sank in just 15 minutes .
Sea is coldest in East Asia with air temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius .