Turkish Cargo Ship Sinks Off Black Sea, Leaving 1 Dead And 11 Missing

According to Turkish officials, on November 19, amidst violent storms, the Turkish cargo ship Kafkametler sank off the coast of the Black Sea, leaving one crew member dead and eleven others missing.

In Turkey, a cargo ship broke in half due to a storm. The incident occurred in the port of the city of Eregli in the Black Sea. The ship was sailing from Odessa under the flag of Cameroon. pic.twitter.com/P2SQOsR521

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When the ship drifted near a breakwater off Eregli, about 200 kilometres (124 miles) east of Istanbul, at 10:29 am (0729 GMT), it sent out a distress call as it headed to the western Turkish town of Izmir.

When the ship’s captain reported the incident, he said the vessel kept hitting the seawall and eventually sank. The Turkish Ministry of Transport verified the distress call, which also disclosed that poor weather hindered search and rescue operations.

Speaking to reporters, Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya apologised for being unable to launch an emergency search and rescue effort because of the problematic weather. He promised that work would get on as soon as things got better.

Ferrosilicon was being transported by the Kafkametler from Aliaga, Turkey, to the Russian port of Temryuk.

There were reports of another cargo ship, the Pallada, flying the flag of Cameroon, breaking into two sections off the coast of Eregli on Sunday due to the heavy storms that hit northwest Turkey. However, all thirteen crew members were brought to safety.

Apart from the marine mishaps, Turkey’s extreme weather also caused the evacuation of a prison and a total of four deaths in the southeast provinces of Batman and Diyarbakir.

About fifty people were hurt as people were washed away by floodwaters brought on by persistent rain.

Due to the lousy weather, neighbouring Bulgaria also confirmed the deaths of two people. Further information will come eventually. The authorities are closely watching the situation.

References- Live Mint, The Hindu

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