STAVROPOL. April 25 (Interfax-AVN) - Two officials of the fish protection department died chasing poachers in the Azov Sea.
"On-duty inspector of the department Vladimir Vladimirov and witness Antonyuk died on Friday morning when chasing a boat with three poachers. A collision took place during the chase and the two men died as a result," the press service of the North Caucasus regional border guard department told Interfax-Military News Agency.
The incident took place when officials of the Novorossiysk state naval inspection were on duty in the Azov Sea sector between the Dolzhanskaya and Yasenskaya posts of the Timashevo commandant's office. The poachers were detained, and a criminal case was launched.
Three officials of the North Caucasus department's naval inspection have died on duty since July 1999, when the Federal Border Guard Service got down to the protection of biological resources in the three southern Russian seas.
"Physical and mental pressure on inspectors and servicemen, who prevent the predacious destruction of precious fishes and other seafood, never stops," the press service said.
Border guards of the North Caucasus department together with state naval inspectors have seized some 100 boats, over 140km of nets, over 17t of seafood and over 1,000 poaching devices from poachers this year.