The body of a man found on Tuesday during the search for 10 missing crew members of the Tuğberk Imamoğlu, which sank off Silivri district in Istanbul, has been identified as the vessel’s first captain, Yaşar Kayhan.
The identification was made as search-and-rescue operations continued in the Marmara Sea following the Sept. 2 collision that caused the ship to sink.
Units from the Turkish Coast Guard Command, the General Directorate of Coastal Safety and the Turkish Naval Forces have been conducting search operations for the missing crew members since the accident.
The body was found during search-and-rescue operations approximately 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the collision site and was initially sent to the Council of Forensic Medicine for identification and examination.
The accident occurred about 18 nautical miles off Silivri when the Alsu ship, a commercial vessel sailing from Kocaeli to Aliağa, collided with the Tuğberk Imamoğlu, which was traveling from Iskenderun Port to Karadeniz Ereğli.
The Tuğberk Imamoğlu sank following the collision, with 10 crew members reported missing.
On the fourth day after the accident, the wreck was located with the help of the TCG Akın rescue ship, operated by the Turkish Naval Forces. Advanced sonar systems and a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) were used to locate the wreck.
Following the discovery of the wreck, diving and underwater scanning operations were intensified in the area as authorities continued efforts to locate the missing crew members.
The Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is conducting an investigation into the collision and sinking.
In an earlier statement, the prosecutor’s office said a male body had been recovered.
The body was transferred to the Council of Forensic Medicine to determine whether it belonged to one of the missing crew members, establish the identity of the deceased and determine the exact cause of death.
The prosecutor’s office said all necessary procedures were being carried out meticulously to establish the facts of the incident in all aspects.
The identification of Kayhan brings the number of missing crew members yet to be located to nine.
