The body of a woman who worked as a cook aboard the cargo ship that sank Thursday in the Sea of Marmara, south of Istanbul, was found Saturday, Turkish media reported.
Divers from the Turkish naval forces were able to locate and bring to the surface
“the body of cargo personnel”
, announced the Turkish Ministry of Defense, without giving details on the identity of the victim.
It would be the body of the ship's 33-year-old cook, according to the private Turkish channel NTV.
“Search and rescue efforts by our naval forces will continue into the evening”
to find the five other missing sailors, the ministry added.
The cargo ship, which was carrying more than 1,000 tonnes of marble dust, sent a distress signal on Thursday while it was off the island of Imrali, located around fifty kilometers from the southern shores of Istanbul.
Its wreck was located at a depth of 51 meters.
A video sent by one of the missing sailors to his wife before the sinking, broadcast by Turkish media, shows water entering the ship.
“God, help us, the ship is sinking.
We have been in the same place for six hours
,” says the sailor in the video.