Deathtoll from Russian oil rig accident rises

Rescue teams recovered six bodies from the Sea of Okhotsk where the floating oil rig capsized (EPA)

The deathtoll from Sunday's oil rig accident off Russia's east coast has risen to 17 people.

A spokeswoman for the Emergencies Ministry said rescue teams recovered six bodies from the Sea of Okhotsk where the floating oil rig capsized and sank Sunday.

Of the 67 men aboard, 14 were rescued from the icy water; 36 men are still missing and chances of finding them alive are negligible.

The Kolskaya floating platform was being towed back to a Sakhalin Island port in a fierce storm when a strong wave broke some of its equipment and portholes, and it capsized in the choppy water.

AP