One more body recovered from cargo vessel that sank off Istanbul

ISTANBUL

The body of one more crew member was recovered from a cargo vessel that sank off the coast of Istanbul on Nov. 1, as rescue efforts continued for a third day. 

The 78-meter Turkish-flagged vessel named Bilal Bal set sail from the Gemlik district of the northwestern province of Bursa to the Karadeniz Ereğli district of the Black Sea province of Zonguldak, carrying cast iron.

However, a distress signal had been received from the vessel seven miles off the coast of Şile in the early hours of Nov. 1. The vessel and its 10 crew members could not be found initially.

The body was recovered from the sea six days after the vessel sank, ending his family members’ desperate wait.

Şile Governor Salih Yüce also confirmed the death, raising the death toll to four.

Search efforts are ongoing for the other six missing crew members.

The Transport Ministry had said in a statement that there was no captain on duty on board the vessel, adding that an investigation has been launched into the incident.

The cargo vessel was built in 1974 and has the capacity to carry 2999 DWT, according to the naval website Deniz Haber Ajansı.