A cargo ship has sunk after colliding with another vessel in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, while ten crew members are missing.
The accident occurred at around 03:00, about 32 kilometers south of Silivri, a suburb of Istanbul. The ship “Tugberk İmamoğlu” collided with the Turkish-flagged vessel “Alsu”, which, according to authorities, did not suffer any visible damage.
After the collision, all contact with the cargo ship's crew was lost. Search and rescue teams have found a lifeboat and other remains of the Tugberk Imamoglu, but so far there is no trace of the people on board.
The General Directorate of Maritime Affairs announced that the ship is considered sunk, as it did not respond to calls, while contacting the crew members via their phones proved impossible.
Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu confirmed that there were ten sailors on board, including the captain, all Turkish citizens.
The 90-meter-long ship was sailing from the Mediterranean port of Iskenderun towards Ereğli, in the Black Sea, when the collision occurred.
Meanwhile, the 91-meter-long ship "Alsu" was traveling from Kocaeli to Aliağa, on the Aegean coast.
Search and rescue operations continue to find the ten missing sailors.
