Panama-flagged ship sinks off Turkey's coast; 6 killed, 7 rescued

Six crew members were killed after a Panama-flagged cargo ship sank off Turkey's Black Sea coast on Monday, state news agency Anadolu reported. Osman Kaymak, governor of the northern Turkish province of Samsun, told Anadolu that seven others were rescued after the Volgo Balt 214 vessel encountered trouble 80 nautical miles from Samsun and had sent a distress call at 8:10 am (0510 GMT). The crew members found alive were taken to the hospital.

The governor's office had initially said there were a total of 13 crew members, including nine Ukrainians, two Azerbaijanis and two Russians. But the Russian embassy in Ankara said on Twitter that there were no Russians on board and Kiev's envoy to Ankara, Andriy Sybiha, said there were 11 Ukrainian crew members. He also said four Ukrainian citizens were among the dead. The cause of the incident was not given by Turkish authorities but Sybiha said on Twitter that the ship "sank off the coast of Samsun due to weather conditions".

(With inputs from agencies.)