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Turkish cargo ship sinks off Italian coast, leaves two dead and four missing

December 28, 2014

Two merchant ships collided in stormy waters off the coast of Italy on Sunday, leaving two men dead. A further four have been reported as missing.

https://p.dw.com/p/1EAw5
Hafen Ravenna
Image: Hajotthu/GFDL

Commander Franco Maltese of the Italian Coast Guard confirmed that of the 11 crew members, six were rescued and brought back to the port of Marina di Ravenna, where one of the men died in a local hospital.

Searchers then spotted another body in the choppy waters, which was brought to shore. The rescue mission for the remaining four had to be halted due to darkness.

The 290-foot (86-meter) Turkish ship Gokbel went under after colliding with the larger Belize-flagged Lady Aziza, as the former was leaving the harbor amidst dense fog about a mile and a half (two kilometers) out from the harbor. The Lady Aziza was still seaworthy, and no one aboard was hurt. Maltese said it was being brought to port as part of the coast guard's investigation.

The names of the dead and missing have not yet been released.

The accident occurred as Italy was attempting a separate rescue operation elsewhere in the Adriatic on Sunday, in conjunction with the Greek Coast Guard. A ferry leaving the Greek port of Patras and heading for the Italian city of Ancona caught fire and left at least one passenger dead and hundreds stranded.

es/ksb (AP, Reuters)