A total of 11 sailors have been found alive from the 18-man crew of the Sinegorye, which sank Monday. One sailor was found dead Tuesday and six were rescued Wednesday after braving two days on the open seas. Russian and South Korean boats and aircraft continue to scour the Sea of Japan in search of the remaining six crewmembers.
"Guided by humanitarian considerations, our side has decided to allow the rescue teams to enter our territory, aboard one ship and one plane," North Korean military officials were quoted by coast guards in South Korea's western port city of Incheon as saying.
The two Koreas remain technically at war, since no peace treaty was signed following the Korean War in 1953. The so-called Demilitarized Zone between the countries is the most heavily armed border in the world. South Korea has been working toward reconciliation and eventual reunification with its neighbor through its Sunshine Policy, but tensions between the countries escalated recently over North Korea's controversial nuclear test.
Russia also shares a short border with the reclusive Communist state.
South Korean Coast Guard officials said earlier that the missing Russian sailors could have been swept to the east coast of North Korea by a northwesterly current.
The coast guard service said the north responded Tuesday to a request made by Seoul the same day. South Korean rescuers are authorized to conduct searches at a distance of 15-65 miles north of the countries' border.
The Russian cargo ship, which was sailing in the Sea of Japan around 80 nautical miles off South Korea's east coast, sent out an SOS at 1:40 p.m. local time (6:40 a.m. Moscow time/2.40 a.m. GMT) Monday, before communications were lost.
The vessel, which was transporting timber, sank within one hour when a sudden heavy storm broke out, causing the vessel to lurch violently. Most of the timber broke through the holds, damaging hatches and equipment, and water began to flow into the ship, one of the survivors, speaking from a South Korean hospital, reported.
