Turkish Ship Sinks in the Black Sea as Storms Rage On

Severe storms battered the Black Sea and northern Turkey this weekend. The violent weather that engulfed the region included waves that reached heights of 5 meters (16 feet) and saw a Turkish civilian ship sink in the chaos about 200 kilometers (124 miles) east of Istanbul.

On Sunday morning, the ship’s captain had reported that the vessel was drifting towards a breakwater, with Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reporting that authorities were unable to maintain contact with the crew.

Search and rescue operations focused on the recovery of the 12 crew members of the Kafkametler, a Turkish-flagged ship had to be delayed by multiple hours due to the extreme weather conditions.

As conditions eased come Monday morning, Turkish rescuers were able to embark and discovered the body of one crew member.

As the search for the crew of Kafkametler continues, eleven others are still missing.

This weekend, the devastating storms inundating the Black Sea also caused a Cameroonian-flagged ship to snap in half. According to the Turkish Office of the Maritime General Directorate, all 13 crewmembers aboard the Cameroonian ship were rescued and brought to safety.

Elsewhere in the region, heavy wind, floodwaters, and rain have led to the deaths of two in Bulgaria and four in Turkey.