Minister Yerlikaya makes statement regarding the 7 missing crew members of the sunken ship

The Turkish-flagged cargo ship Kafkametler sank off the coast of Kdz. Ereğli on November 19 while en route to the Aliağa district of İzmir, carrying 1,542 tons of ferrosilicon loaded from the Russian city of Temryuk. The bodies of 5 of the 12 crew members of the ship, which sank after hitting a military breakwater, have been recovered. The 7 missing crew members have not been reached for 12 days. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who came to the district to inspect the search operations conducted by air, land, and sea on-site, shared the latest developments with the public.

Stating that the search operations for the 7 crew members in the tragedy are being carried out with 73 divers, 578 personnel, 1 helicopter, 17 boats, 3 drones, 4 unmanned underwater vehicles, and 7 side-scan sonar systems, Minister Yerlikaya said, "On Sunday, November 19, 2023, as in many of our cities, Kdz. Ereğli in Zonguldak also experienced very heavy rainfall. The storm was strong. Due to adverse weather conditions at sea, a very powerful storm occurred. During this process, as you know, the Kafkametler ship unfortunately sank after hitting the military breakwater at around 10:20 AM on Sunday, November 19." 

Search and rescue operations for the 12 crew members began immediately. We must state this: Search and rescue operations were launched very vigorously as soon as weather and sea conditions permitted. As you know, the bodies of five of our sailors were recovered. Search and rescue operations for the other 7 crew members have been ongoing to this day. I must say this: So far, search operations have been conducted in 8 sectors along the district coastline, meaning the entire shoreline, covering 196 kilometers on land and 1,250 square kilometers by air, with 73 divers at sea; however, unfortunately, we have not yet encountered any traces of our missing sailors. 

Dear friends, as of now, our search operations are continuing with a total of 34 vehicles, including 73 divers, 578 personnel, 2 ships, 1 helicopter, 17 boats, three drones, 4 unmanned underwater vehicles, and 7 side-scan sonar systems. The search for the seven crew members is being conducted underwater by our divers from JAK, the Coast Guard, AFAD, the police, and the Naval Forces. It is also continuing with illumination provided by the Gendarmerie, Police, and AFAD. It is continuing at 8 points along the entire coastline on land, and search and rescue efforts are also ongoing along the coast by both plane and helicopter, my dear friends," he said.

"OUR ONLY DESIRE IS TO GIVE GOOD NEWS"

Reminding that the families of the missing crew are waiting for the search and rescue operations with patience and prayers, Minister Yerlikaya stated that the search operations would continue day and night as long as weather conditions permit, and continued his words as follows:

"My dear friends, first of all, I want to say this: may the souls of the five crew members we found rest in peace. I would like to convey my condolences to their relatives and friends. As soon as I arrived, I held a meeting with my colleagues. We received information from the relevant authorities regarding all the work done so far in the air, on land, underwater, and at sea."

Immediately afterward, I shared my well wishes with the families who have been waiting with patience and prayers for our 7 crew members since the beginning, and who have been waiting for the search and rescue operations, and I provided them with information regarding all the work I have just expressed and explained to you. I admire their patience. I admire their understanding."

We join in the prayers that are always on their lips. Our only desire is to bring good news to them, our city, and our country as soon as possible. Our search and rescue efforts for the 7 crew members will continue day and night, without interruption, as long as weather conditions permit. That is our prayer. May God Almighty grant us the ability to deliver good news to their families, our Karadeniz Ereğli, and our beloved nation."

"WE MUST REMOVE THE SHIP FROM THERE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE"

Minister Yerlikaya, stating that the divers are continuing their search efforts under and around the ship despite visibility dropping to 15 centimeters, said that the ship must be removed once the prosecutor's investigation is complete. Yerlikaya said, "The sea is the Black Sea. I don't know the technical aspects of this work, but I have personally listened to our admiral, our general, and the divers involved in underwater operations, and we have watched the footage from GoPro cameras, seat cameras, and other underwater cameras. 

They explained that the camera sees less than a tenth of what the human eye sees. Despite all this, in that atmosphere I witnessed, in the midst of that risk, I felt proud of our divers' heroism and their dedication to duty. May God protect them. I sincerely hope for their safety and that, while they perform their duties securely, they will bring us good news together." 

Once our Chief Public Prosecutor's Office concludes that it is technically appropriate, we must, of course, remove it from there as soon as possible. We need to take it to a shallower area. And hopefully, that is the situation, but if there are still missing crew members, search and rescue will continue both where the ship sank and where it is moved to. I also asked about the material it was carrying and whether it could be toxic if it comes into contact with seawater. I asked about that specifically. I mean, I asked whether the ship, which is currently in three pieces, or its cargo, posed any negative impact on the sea or the environment. Thank God, there is none for now. But we must act quickly. We need to complete this process as soon as possible and deliver good news."

50 MILLION LIRA EMERGENCY AID FUND"

Minister Ali Yerlikaya also provided information regarding the work carried out and payments made for the businesses and areas damaged in the district:

"Of course, I must also say this. Under the coordination of our Governor, our Ereğli Chief Public Prosecutor is also overseeing these efforts. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all our colleagues who are working day and night, with patience and great effort. Dear friends, we have transferred our payments regarding the businesses and areas in Karadeniz Ereğli to our Governor, as the Ministry of Interior and the AFAD family. I would like to provide some figures regarding these as well. Immediately after November 19, in order to address the difficulties caused by the adverse weather conditions, we transferred an initial emergency aid fund of 50 million liras through our AFAD Presidency. We also provided 39 million liras in humanitarian aid from AFAD. This includes support for the relatives of the 8 citizens who lost their lives in Zonguldak, 5 of whom were from the Kafkametler and those who drowned."

Aid of 800,000 liras was provided, with 100,000 liras each. Approximately 34 million liras were provided for 292 workplaces. Additionally, 710,000 liras in roof damage payments were made to 174 people. Furthermore, our Ministry of Family and Social Services provided 400,000 liras in household goods damage payments to 21 households in Zonguldak through the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation. In total, 4.5 million liras in payments were made for household goods damage in our Karadeniz Ereğli district, covering 920 households. We had schools with roofs blown off. I immediately consulted with our Minister of National Education, Mr. Yusuf Tekin. I spoke with him as well. I spoke with our colleagues and deputies. I just received information from our governor regarding them. 80 percent of these have been completed. By Tuesday at the latest, the roof repairs, deficiencies, and maintenance of our schools will be finished. Hopefully, they will be offered to the service of our valued students."

"7 MILLION LIRA SUPPORT PAYMENT"

Announcing that support payments of 5 million liras to Zonguldak Municipality and 7 million liras to Kdz. Ereğli Municipality, which were affected by the severe storm and flood disaster, will be transferred to their accounts, Minister Yerlikaya concluded his remarks as follows:

"In the meantime, support payments of 5 million liras to Zonguldak Municipality and 7 million liras to Karadeniz Ereğli for the restoration of this park to its former state are being transferred to their accounts. I will give instructions tomorrow for support payments regarding the deficiencies shared by our governor and mayors concerning the town municipalities. We will transfer those as well.

Our prayer and wish is this, dear friends. May God protect us from a recurrence. Our state and government are always, but always, by the side of our noble nation in such disaster situations. From the first moment until now, and until this situation returns to normal and becomes even better than it was before, have no doubt that we, as the Ministry of Interior, together with all our colleagues in the cabinet and relevant friends, will continue, with God's permission, to stand by our Zonguldak, our Ereğli, and all our provinces, districts, towns, villages, and neighborhoods affected by these adverse weather conditions."

Following this, Minister Yerlikaya visited the tradespeople in the district who were affected by the disaster.

News Source: İHA

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