Search for bodies continues after ship sinks off Turkey

By Mustafa Cavus and Dilek Sezen

SAMSUN, Turkey (AA) - Coast guard units continue to search for bodies of four crew members after a Panama-flagged cargo vessel sank off Turkey’s Black Sea coast, the local governorship said on Tuesday.

Samsun province's governor office said in a statement the search operation was being aided by two boats and a helicopter.

The bodies of Azerbaijani captain Ismyilov Turbat and Ukrainian third mate Bodnik Ruslan, 31, have been recovered.

Samsun Governor Osman Kaymak on Monday told reporters that six sailors died and seven others were rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard after the vessel went down some 80 nautical miles off the northern Samsun province.

Eleven crew members were Ukrainian nationals and two Azerbaijani, he added.

One rescued sailor said an unexpected wave had taken away the ship's bow, Kaymak said.

The vessel contained 3,300 tons of coal.

The ship built in 1978 is 113,87 meters long and 13,23 meters wide.