Turkish coast guards resumed searching today for some 50 people missing and feared drowned more than 24 hours after a cargo vessel split and sank off the country's southern coast, local officials said.
At least six people died yesterday when the Georgian-registered dry cargo ship bound for Greece with dozens of suspected illegal immigrants in its hold ran into difficulty off the rocky coast on Turkey's Mediterranean coast.
"Our teams began search and rescue operations early this morning," a coast guard official said.
A military rescue vessel patrolled waters off the rocky point where the vessel ran aground.
The high winds and heavy rains that forced rescuers to suspend their searches late last night had faded to gusts and a partly clouded sky.
Rescuers had saved more than 30 people and pulled six bodies from the water near the wreck of the vessel before high winds and cold weather forced them to suspend the search.
Those rescued included six of the ship's 10 crew and 10 Iranians and 16 Pakistanis who had been in the ship's hold apparently hoping to enter Greece illegally.
One of the Pakistanis was reported to have told rescuers he had been locked in the hold with about 50 other people.
Reuters