Update: Cargo ship sinks off Turkey's Black Sea coast, two dead

A freight ship has sunk off the coast of Turkey’s Black Sea province of Bartin and two crew members have been found dead at sea, the local governor was cited as saying by state media on Sunday.

Update: Cargo ship sinks off Turkey's Black Sea coast, two dead

Bartin Governor Sinan Guner said the dry cargo ship, ARVIN, sank off the coast of the Inkumu region in poor weather, according to the state-owned Anadolu news agency. He said five of the 13 crew members had been rescued so far.

The cause of the incident was not immediately clear.

The governor was quoted as saying:

“So far, five people have been rescued. The lifeless bodies of two people were pulled onto the (rescue) boat.”

Guner said rescue operations were underway despite the poor weather conditions, which initially saw rescuers struggling to reach the crew. He added civilian ships had also been asked to help.

He said lifeboats carrying the crew members, all of whom are Russian nationals, could be seen 600-700 metres from the shore and that a Navy vessel had been deployed to reach them. “In case there is an opportunity to fly, we requested a helicopter,” he said.

The Turkish defence ministry confirmed it had deployed a vessel to help with the rescue operations.

Source: Reuters

Update:

According to the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleg Nikolenko on Twitter, 10 Ukrainians and 2 foreigners were on board the ship Arvin. 6 people were rescued, 2 died. The search and rescue operation against 4 sailors continues. Ukrainian consuls went to the port of Bartin to provide consular assistance. Hotline: +90 539 550 98 98.

Update: Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko added:
"5 Ukrainians and 1 foreigner were rescued from the ship Arvin, which was flying the flag of Palau. They are hospitalized. Their condition is satisfactory. Relatives were informed. The search for 5 sailors continues."