A cargo ship with 11 crew on board sank in the Black Sea near the Asian side of Istanbul, Turkish prime minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday.

"Unfortunately, one of our cargo ships sank in ... the Black Sea last night," he said, adding the cause of the incident was still unclear. "Search and rescue operations are ongoing."
The cargo ship Bilal Bal was carrying cast iron from Turkey's northwestern province of Bursa to the northern province of Zonguldak, Turkish news agency Dogan reported.
Three boats, one helicopter and one plane were conducting search and rescue operations, it said. Empty lifeboats had been found as well as some lifejackets.

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