Rescue teams have recovered the body of one more crew member from a ship that sank in the Black Sea last week, a local official said Tuesday.
The announcement by Salih Yuce, governor of Istanbul's northern coastal district of Sile, brought to four the number of bodies of the boat's crew recovered from the accident.
Initial reports put the number of crew members at 10, but later reports suggested eight crew members were present.
Last Wednesday a Turkish cargo vessel sank seven nautical miles (13 kilometers) off the coast of Sile on the outskirts of Istanbul.
The nearly 80-meter-long Bilal Bal vessel sent a distress call that morning, the Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communication Ministry said.
It was transporting iron ore from the port of Marmara in northwestern Bursa's Gemlik district to the northern Black Sea port of Eregli.
On Friday the Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Ministry said that before the accident, three of the crew members had disembarked and one sailor got on the ship without the permission or knowledge of the port authorities.
The ship's captain, chief mechanic, and motorman left the vessel without reporting it to the authorities, the statement said.
