Cargo ship with 10 crew sinks off Turkey coast — authorities

Turkish authorities are currently searching for the 10 crew members aboard a cargo ship that capsized following a collision with another vessel in the Marmara Sea near Istanbul early Wednesday. Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu confirmed that all 10 crew members were Turkish nationals and noted that attempts to contact them via mobile phone had been unsuccessful.

The collision occurred around 3 a.m. local time between the bulk carrier Tugberk Imamoglu and a chemical tanker named Alsu. The incident happened off the city's western Silivri district, according to the Istanbul governor's office. The search and rescue operations involve two helicopters and 12 vessels. Life-saving equipment, including a lifeboat from the Tugberk Imamoglu, was discovered floating on the surface, but the crew members were not inside.

The bulk carrier, which was en route from Iskenderun to the Black Sea port of Eregli, was carrying 4,200 tons of rolled steel. The 90-meter Turkish-flagged bulk carrier was believed to have sunk in waters around 900 meters deep. The 91-meter Turkish-flagged Alsu, which was sailing from Kocaeli to the Aegean port of Aliaga, was empty and undamaged at the time of the collision. The Sea of Marmara is a crucial shipping route that connects the Mediterranean and Black Seas.