Nine people were found dead in Turkey after severe bad weather, while the fate of 11 sailors in the Black Sea continues to be unknown, as the Turkish Interior Minister announced today.
"Nine of our fellow citizens lost their lives because of the storms and...the heavy rains," Ali Gerlikaya said at a press conference in Dzonguldak province (northwest) where four people died. Five other people, including three children, died in floods in Batman and Diyarbakir provinces in the southeastern part of the country, he said.
The body of one of the 12 Turkish sailors whose tracks were lost off Eregli, a port in Zonguldak province, was found this morning, he said. The Turkish-flagged vessel Kafkametler sank after hitting a breakwater early yesterday while sailing from the port of Eregli, located about 200 kilometers east of Istanbul, the minister said.
Ali Yerlikaya Zonguldak'ta negativa hava kontiti sesebiyle ığırın dılarısara attended.
Zonguldak Karadeniz Ereğli'de Fırtına gece de devam etti. Wind speed 70-75 knots, wave height 8-9 meters buldu.
Missing 12 Türk mürettebatın ıkın ekipler seferber oldu. pic.twitter.com/j4Y3cQQLJ5
— KarşıSav (@KarsiSavHaber) November 20, 2023
According to him, the search operations, which were previously impossible due to weather conditions, began today. Another Cameroonian-flagged boat broke in two in Eregli yesterday due to heavy waves, while earlier all crew members managed to leave it safely.
Winds of 130 to 140 km/h swept the area, causing waves eight to nine meters high, according to the minister.
Source: protothema.gr