A cargo ship carrying 10 crew members sank in the Marmara Sea near Istanbul early Wednesday after colliding with an empty oil tanker, Turkish maritime authorities said.
The accident happened around 3:15 a.m. local time, about 18 nautical miles off Silivri district, when the Tugberk Imamoglu, carrying 4,200 tonnes of rolled steel, collided with the tanker ALSU.
Authorities said the cargo ship stopped responding to calls, while none of its crew members answered their mobile phones, leading officials to believe the vessel had sunk.
A major search-and-rescue operation was launched, involving 14 rescue vessels and a helicopter. A lifeboat and other lifesaving equipment belonging to the Tugberk Imamoglu were found floating at sea, but the 10 crew members were not inside.
The ALSU was damaged in the collision and also joined the search operation. Officials initially reported that the tanker was carrying 3,000 tonnes of motor oil, but later clarified that it was empty at the time of the crash.
Search teams continued efforts to locate the missing crew members as authorities investigated the cause of the collision.
