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One dead, some 30 missing as ferry sinks off Turkish coast: officials
2008-09-14
ANKARA (AFP) - At least one person died and about 30 remained unaccounted for after a ferry carrying some 100 people and 75 vehicles sank late on Sunday off northwestern Turkey, officials said. The 118-metre roll-on-roll-off ferry sank about one nautical mile off the shore, shortly after setting off from the port town of Bandirma, on the southern shore of the Marmara Sea, for Istanbul at 11:30 pm (2030 GMT). One person died in hospital and 28 were injured, Selahattin Hatipoglu, the governor of Balikesir province, where the town is located, told the NTV news channel. Out of the 96 people on board, 26 remained unaccounted for early on Monday, while the remainder -- including the 29-man crew -- were rescued, the deputy head of Turkey's maritime agency, Mehmet Solgun, said on Haberturk television. "The search-and-rescue efforts are continuing but the dark is a problem," Hatipoglu said. Two night-vision helicopters were sent to Bandirma to assist the operation as the coast guard, civil defence teams, divers and local fishermen combed the sea for survivors, officials said. Many drivers were asleep inside their trucks when the ferry speedily sank, a crewman said. "It sank in 15 minutes after listing to its left side," Melih Erim said. "There was great panic and no one was in a position to help others... It was just like the Titanic disaster." Television footage showed several survivors being carried to the shore on dinghies and put on ambulances, while others embraced each other in tears. Some surviving drivers blamed the accident on the crew, claiming that the ferry was overloaded and already listing when it was leaving the port. A trucker who decided against boarding the vessel at the last minute also said it was overloaded. "I was scared when I noticed that the ferry was listing. Most of the trucks on board were of large tonnage," Abdullah Demir told the online edition of the popular Milliyet newspaper. The authorities had difficulties in establishing the exact number of people on board because the ferry did not have proper ticket records. Bandirma sub-governor Salih Keser quoted the vessel's captain as saying that the ferry was carrying about 150 people as well as 73 trucks and two cars, Anatolia news agency reported. The maritime agency first said they estimated that 101 people were on board, and later revised the figure down to 96. The captain suggested the accident might have happened because of misplaced cargo, Keser said. The police were interrogating the captain and his assistants, Anatolia reported.
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