Businessman Halit Yukay's body recovered days later: Retrieved in one piece

The search for the body of businessman Halit Yukay (43), whose boat was found shattered and semi-submerged after he set sail from Yalova to Bozcaada, continued with the 'TCG Alemdar' ship joining the efforts already underway by the Turkish Naval Forces' 'TCG Işın' ship, eventually reaching his body at a depth of 68 meters after 19 days.

During the search and rescue operations conducted off the coast of Erdek, Balıkesir, a body part assessed to belong to Halit Yukay was found and recovered from the sea during the daytime hours.

In the evening hours, the remaining part of the body was brought to the surface in one piece by divers serving on the TCG Alemdar ship.

The recovered body was brought to the Bandırma Coast Guard Command. Following the procedures there, it was sent to the Bursa Forensic Medicine Institute for autopsy and identification.

While the investigation continues, radar movements of the ship suspected of colliding with Halit Yukay's shattered yacht have emerged. In the examination by Coast Guard teams, it was determined that there were scrape marks on the front of the dry cargo ship. The Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has placed the ship traffic in the region and the route of the 'Arel 7' under scrutiny. Two photographs showing the scrape marks on the ship have also been added to the investigation file. While no marks were visible on the front of the ship in a photo taken in Çanakkale one day before the accident, a distinct mark and impact were noted on the front of the 'Arel 7' in a photo taken on August 5 in İzmit, where the ship was delivering its cargo.

FOOTAGE ADDED TO THE FILE

Footage of the moment the dry cargo ship named 'Arel 7', which is believed to have collided with Yukay's boat, arrived at İzmit Port has been obtained. In the security camera footage, it was seen that the captain of the 'Arel 7', Cemal Tokatlıoğlu, and the accompanying crew disembarked from the ship at 04:17 on August 5 as it docked at the port around 04:00, walked to the bow to look at the ship, and then stood at the port side bow to look at the ship again. Along with the photographs of the ship, which was determined to have distinct scrape marks on its front, this footage was also included in the investigation file.

REFLECTED IN THE CRIMINAL REPORT

While the cause of the scratches on the front of the 92-meter-long, 11-meter-wide ship was being investigated, samples taken from the area with the scrape marks on the cargo ship and from the parts of Yukay's shattered boat that showed marks were sent to the Bursa Criminal Police Laboratory Directorate. As a result of the examination, it was stated that the paint residues on the scrape marks on the front of the 'Arel 7' matched those on Halit Yukay's shattered boat.

According to the criminal report, it was determined that the micro-level samples taken from the damaged part of the ship, which is considered the 'impact zone', and the samples taken from Halit Yukay's boat had similar physical structures in terms of color and layers.