A Turkish cargo ship and its 12 crew are missing in a storm off the northwest coast of the country, Turkish authorities said Sunday.
The Kafkametler vessel sent out a distress signal at 10:29 am (0729 GMT), according to a subdivision of the ministry of transport, which added that it gave off its last signal off the northwestern city of Eregli.
“Our efforts to contact the vessel and its crew have been unsuccessful,” the General Directorate of Maritime Affairs said.
“Due to bad weather, it is currently impossible to reach the vessel’s location or establish close visual contact. Search and rescue efforts using air and sea vehicles will be launched as soon as the weather permits,” it added.
Turkish helicopters Monday scoured the Black Sea in search of 11 sailors who went missing when their ship sank in heavy storms that killed at least nine people.
The Kafkametler cargo vessel sank with 12 crew on board after hitting a breakwater Sunday while trying to seek shelter from violent winds and waves about 200 kilometers (120 miles) east of Istanbul.
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Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the body of one sailor had been recovered and the search for the 11 others resumed Monday after the storms had died down.
The Turkish-flagged ship was transporting ferrosilicon — an alloy used in steelmaking — from the Russian port of Temryuk to Aliaga in Turkey.
Rescuers on Sunday also safely recovered the Turkish crew of a Cameroon-registered vessel that broke in two and sank in the same region.
Heavy storms left a trail of destruction after lashing most of Turkey over the weekend.
The victims included three children from the same family who died in a flash flood in the southeastern province of Batman.
The storms followed a particularly dry summer that saw the dams of Istanbul drop to their lowest levels in nine years.
Much of Turkey has been suffering from an extended drought that scientists attribute to climate change and poor water management.