Freighter ship sinks off Turkey's Black Sea coast

ZONGULDAK (A.A) - February 1, 2012 - A Cambodian-flagged freighter ship sank off Eregli town of the northern province of Zonguldak on Tuesday evening.  The first and second mates of the ship and a cook were rescued, while efforts are under way to find the captain and seven other crew members who went missing after the ship sank. The cargo ship named "Vera" was carrying scrap metal from Russia's Rostov Port to Izmir's Nemrut Port when it leaked out water due to severe weather conditions off Turkey's Black Sea coast.  The first and second mates of the ship jumped to the sea from the ship that sank in a few minutes, and they were rescued by coast guard teams. The female cook of the ship was rescued two and a half hours after the ship sank, and the rescued crew were hospitalized in Eregli. Coast guard teams could not find missing eight crew members of the cargo ship. "The cargo ship wanted to anchor at Eregli Port due to severe weather conditions, however it sank in two or three minutes after it started to leak water," Zonguldak Governor Erol Ayyildiz told reporters. Ayyildiz said the crew members were experienced and therefore executives still believed that they were alive, adding that if they could not find the missing crew, divers would dive around the area where the ship sank. Speaking to reporters, one of the mates, Pavlo Selivanov, said when the captain tried to anchor after the ship started to leak out, the ship began to sink. "The crew members were asleep at cabins, and the captain warned them to wear life jackets, I wore but other crew members could not," Selivanov said. Selivanov said the ship sank in two or three minutes, adding that he survived as he jumped to the sea.