Search efforts continue for seven missing in the sunken ship in Zonguldak

Search operations continue for the 7 missing crew members of the Turkish-flagged dry cargo ship named "Kafkametler," which sank on November 19 in the district of Karadeniz Ereğli after colliding with the breakwater due to a storm.

While search efforts from the air and sea have been temporarily halted due to adverse weather conditions, ground scanning operations by the teams persist. Searches from the air, on the water surface, and underwater will resume as weather conditions return to normal.

Parliamentary inquiry

Meanwhile, CHP Zonguldak Deputy Deniz Yavuzyılmaz has submitted a parliamentary inquiry regarding the sinking of the ship named "Kafkametler" in the district of Karadeniz Ereğli during a storm.

In his inquiry, Yavuzyılmaz indicated that the vessel had collided with a mine near Romania's Sulina Canal a month and a half ago and, despite the incurred damages, was still being kept afloat.

On the other hand, Yavuzyılmaz made the following statement on his social media account:

"We have confirmed from our sources that the ship named Kafkametler, which sank in the storm in Ereğli, had struck a mine in the Black Sea near Romania's Sulina Canal 1.5 months ago. Despite being damaged by the mine, the ship continued to stay afloat until the day it sank. Potential damages on the 31-year-old vessel are listed as 'Ballast tank, welding points, gyro compass, cracks, autopilot out of order...'"

What happened?

The Turkish-flagged dry cargo ship named "Kafkametler," carrying cargo from Russia to İzmir Aliağa Port, sank on November 19 in the Black Sea due to a storm while departing from Ereğli Port, colliding with a breakwater in a military zone. As a result of the  efforts of the search teams, the bodies of 5 out of the 12 Turkish crew members on the ship have been found. (AÖ/PE)