Passenger ferry sinks in Turkey
A ferry has sunk near the north-western Turkish port of Bandirma, leaving at least one person dead, officials say.
The vessel is said to have carried some 100 people and more than 70 lorries to Istanbul, Turkish news agency report.
Civil defence teams, including cialis divers and local fisherman, have been mobilised to rescue passengers from the Marmara Sea.
At least 70 people were rescued, officials say, but about 30 others are still unaccounted for.
Officials fear that some lorry drivers were asleep in their vehicles when the ferry sank.
Night-vision helicopters were sent to the area to assist the search and rescue operation.
‘Like Titanic’
The roll-on-roll-off ferry went down about 300m from the shore at about 2330 local time (2030 GMT).
“The vessel sank within half an hour… There is one dead,” Bandirma Mayor Recep Eraydin told Turkey’s NTV television.
At least 25 people were injured and taken to Bandirma’s hospitals. The entire crew - nearly 30 people - were among the survivors.
“There was great panic and no-one was in a position to help others… It was just like the Titanic disaster,” crewman Melih Erim was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.
The captain of the ferry said misplaced cargo had probably caused the accident, the CNN-Turk news channel reported.
Other reports in Turkish media suggest that the vessel may have been overloaded.
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