Search and rescue operations under way as authorities lose contact with 10 crew members after a vessel collision near Istanbul.
By Al Jazeera Staff, AP and Reuters
A cargo ship has sunk after colliding with another vessel off the coast of Istanbul, Turkiye’s transport minister said, with 10 crew members missing.
The collision took place at 3am (00:00 GMT) in the Marmara Sea a little more than 20 miles (32 kilometres) south of Silivri, a suburb of Turkey’s largest city, the Istanbul governor’s office said in a statement.
Contact was lost with the crew of the Tugberk İmamoglu after the collision with the Turkish-flagged Alsu, which appeared undamaged, the governor’s office said.
A lifeboat and other debris belonging to the cargo ship Tugberk İmamoglu have been found, but there is no sign of the crew of 10, the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs said in a statement.
“It is assessed that the Tugberk İmamoglu vessel sank because it did not respond to any calls and the mobile phones of the personnel on board went unanswered,” the maritime directorate said.
