UPDATE 2 - Turkey recovers 3 bodies from Black Sea shipwreck

UPDATES WITH MINISTRY’S STATEMENT, BYLINE

By Murat Paksoy and Cuneyt Kemal Ozkok

ISTANBUL (AA) - Rescue teams have recovered the bodies of three crew members from a vessel that sank in the Black Sea earlier this week, the Turkish Coast Guard Command said Friday.

According to a statement by Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications on Friday, three of the crew had left and one sailor got on the ship without permission and knowledge of the port authorities.

The ship’s captain, chief mechanic and motorman left the vessel without reporting it to the authorities, the statement said.

Earlier, it was reported that 10 crew members were onboard the nearly 80-meter-long Bilal Bal vessel but the recent statement by Ministry of Transport suggested that eight crew members were present in the vessel.

An investigation into the incident has been launched, the statement said.

On Wednesday, a Turkish cargo vessel sank seven nautical miles (roughly 13 kilometers) off the coast of Sile district on the outskirts of Istanbul.

It was transporting iron ore from the port of Marmara in northwestern Bursa’s Gemlik district to the northern Black Sea port of Eregli.

The ship was located by TCG Alemdar ship of the Turkish Naval Forces Command on Wednesday.

Joint search and rescue efforts by the Turkish Coast Guard, Directorate General of Coastal Safety and Turkish Naval Forces are underway.