A Palau-flagged freight ship has sunk in the Black Sea, killing at least three crew members as Anadolu news agency reported.
Namely, the cargo vessel “Arvin” sunk off the coast of Turkey’s Black Sea province of Bartin.
The coast guard stated that the vessel had sunk after taking in water amid heavy weather conditions.
At the moment, six crew members had been rescued, while efforts are underway in order to rescue others.
As Bartin Governor Sinan Guner told Anadolu news agency:
“Rescue workers managed to save six crew members and reached the body of one other on the Arvin, which sank off the coast of Bartin province”.
For the records, the rescued personnel were in good health.
As further explained, the two bodies had still not been reached and there was a report that the other three crew members were spotted in a rocky area and that rescue teams were trying to reach the location by land.
Following the vessel’s sinking incident, the Main Search and Rescue Coordination Center under the ministry contacted the shipping company’s officials in Ukraine and were informed that 12 crew members were onboard.
In light of the situation, the Turkish National Defense Ministry announced that the country’s navy deployed a frigate to support the rescue effort.
As Anadolu added, the Defense Ministry said search and rescue activities for the three missing persons from the ship’s crew are continuing with the Coast Guard Command, Provincial Gendarmerie Command, Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and frigate teams from land and sea.
Concluding, helicopters are currently unable to take part in search and rescue operations due to the bad weather conditions. Following an improvement in the weather, search and rescue efforts will continue from the air.
