ALBAWABA - Turkish rescue teams patrolled the Black Sea on Monday in search of 11 sailors who went missing after their ship went down in fierce storms, killing at least nine people.
The cargo ship had 12 crew members on board, which sank after hitting a breakwater Sunday while trying to seek shelter from violent winds and waves about 200 kilometers east of Istanbul, AFP reported.
One body has been recovered and is believed to be one of the crew members, while the search for the rest of the 11 missing crew resumed after the storm has calmed down, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement.
The ship was transporting ferrosilicon from the Russian port of Temryuk to Aliaga in Turkey. Ferrosilicon is widely used in the steelmaking industry.
After pounding most of Turkey over the weekend, severe storms left a trail of devastation, killing three children from the same family who were among those killed in a flash flood in the southeastern province of Batman.
The rains came after an exceptionally dry summer that saw Istanbul's dams sink to their lowest levels in nine years.
Much of Turkey has been experiencing an extended drought, which scientists blame on climate change and poor water management.
