A major rescue operation is continuing in the Black Sea after a storm sank at least four ships and split open a small oil tanker.
Efforts are being made to save several missing crew members and to contain environmental damage.
Three bodies have been found ashore near the Tuzla Spit, a piece of land jutting out from the Russian coast towards the Ukrainian Crimea.
The three had been workers on the dry cargo ship Nakhichevan which sank in the port of Kavkaz.
Russia's Emergencies Ministry says at least eight other sailors are missing.
Yesterday's storm broke the Volgoneft-139, a small Russian oil tanker, in two off the Ukrainian port of Kerch, spilling at least 1,300 tonnes of fuel oil.
The same storm, in narrow straits between the Black Sea and Azov Sea, also sank at least four freighters.
Russian officials said shipping in the area had been warned well in advance of heavy storms but it appeared some captains had chosen to ignore the advice and put to sea.
Viktor Beltsov, a spokesman for the Russian Emergencies Ministry, said that six other ships had run aground.
165 rescuers have already saved 35 crew members and are hunting for the other missing seamen.
The sunken Volganeft-139 had travelled from the Russian port of Azov and was anchored outside Kerch in Ukraine's eastern Crimea to ride out the weather, when high waves broke its back yesterday.
The 1978-built tanker, designed primarily for river and coastal service, was carrying 4,000 tonnes of fuel oil in total when it was hit by the storm.
It is feared the fuel oil may sink to the bottom of the sea in the cold winter temperatures rather than float on the surface, making it harder to find and disperse.
The problem may take a few years to solve, according to the deputy head of Russia's environment agency.
