12 crew members were missing after a cargo
ship sank off Turkey’s Black Sea coast in severe storms, Turkish officials were
quoted by international media reports. The
ship was on its way to the western Turkish port of Izmir from Russia
The Turkish-flagged Kafkametler sank on
November 19th after hitting a breakwater outside the harbor off the town of
Eregli, some 200 kilometers (124 miles) east of Istanbul. The vessel had sent out a distress signal earlier in the morning
according to the Turkish ministry of transport.
The captain said in his last communication
with authorities that the ship was drifting towards a breakwater off Eregli.
The vessel lashed against the breakwater several times before it sank.
Rescue crews were on standby waiting for the weather
conditions to clear to begin a rescue mission. As soon as conditions improve the search-and-rescue
operations will begin immediately. The cargo ship was transporting ferrosilicon
from the Russian port of Temryuk to Aliaga in Turkey.