At least 2 dead after ship with Russian-Ukrainian crew sinks off Turkish coast

A dry cargo vessel with 12 crew members on board sank in the Black Sea off the Turkish coast in stormy weather. Two people were reported dead and six others rescued by the Turkish coast guard.

The ship, named Arvin, sank near Turkey’s northern Bartin Province, Governor Sinan Guner told the media on Sunday. It was initially reported as Russian-flagged, but that information appears to be incorrect. A ship of this name and class was flying the colors of Palau since 2016, according to maritime registry site Vessel Finder.

The ship had 12 people on board, 2 Russian nationals and 10 Ukrainians, when it departed from the Georgian port of Poti and headed to Bulgaria’s Burgas. According to some media reports, the ship tried to take shelter near the Bartin coast on Sunday morning due to worsening weather conditions, which later hampered the Turkish rescue effort.

The coast guard recovered two dead bodies and saved six sailors from a lifeboat, but four other crew members remained unaccounted for hours after the emergency was first reported. A Turkish Navy frigate was dispatched to the area to assist with the search. Unfortunately, the weather was too bad for helicopters to join the operation.

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