At least 16 Turkish nationals were among the crews of two vessels that caught fire in the Kerch Strait on Monday, Omer Celik, the spokesperson for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said
ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2019) At least 16 Turkish nationals were among the crews of two vessels that caught fire in the Kerch Strait on Monday, Omer Celik, the spokesperson for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) said."The two ships caught fire in the Kerch Strait. One of the ships was hit with an explosion and the fire spread to another ship. According to preliminary data, there were 31 people in both crews, 16 of them were Turkish nationals. The ships were sailing under the flag of Tanzania. However, their owner could be a Turkish citizen. Russian rescuers sent 10 boats there, a rescue operation is underway. We are in close contact with our embassy in Russia and with the Russian authorities," Celik told reporters in Ankara.
According to reports by Russian authorities, the Tanzania-flagged LNG tankers caught fire in the Kerch Strait earlier in the day. The current death count stands at 10 with 14 sailors rescued, Russia's Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transportation (Rosmorrechflot) earlier told Sputnik.
