Turkey's coast guard has launched a search and rescue operation after two Turkish-flagged commercial vessels collided off Istanbul, leaving one ship and its 10 crew members unaccounted for.
The Istanbul governor's office said in a statement on Wednesday that the collision occurred at 3 a.m. (0000 GMT) in the Sea of Marmara, about 20 nautical miles (32 kilometers) south of Silivri, a suburb of Turkey's largest city.
Authorities lost contact with the crew of the vessel named Tugberk Imamoglu after it collided with another Turkish-flagged ship, Alsu, the governor's office said. The Alsu appeared undamaged.
"Multiple naval units from the Coast Guard's Marmara and Bosphorus commands, along with a coast guard helicopter, have been dispatched to the scene," the governor's office said.
