Search efforts for 7 sailors continue in Zonguldak

Minister of Internal Affairs Ali Yerlikaya said that the search for the missing 7-person crew of the dry cargo ship that sank off the coast of Zonguldak continues with 73 divers, 578 personnel, 2 ships, 1 helicopter, 1 aircraft, 17 boats, 3 drones, 4 unmanned underwater vehicles and 7 side-scan sonar systems. reported.

Minister Yerlikaya, who came to the district and examined the works, reminded the journalists that on November 19, Zonguldak and Karadeniz Ereğli, like many cities, received heavy rainfall and there was a very strong storm at sea.

Yerlikaya reminded that the cargo ship named “Kafkametler” sank by hitting a military breakwater at around 10.20 on November 19, and said that the search and rescue efforts of its 12-person crew started very strongly as soon as the weather and sea conditions allowed.

Yerlikaya stated that the dead bodies of 5 ship personnel were found during the work and that search and rescue efforts for the other 7 people are continuing.

Referring to the studies carried out, Yerlikaya shared the following information:

“So far, our air force has been carrying out sea search operations with 73 divers in an area of ​​1250 square kilometers with a length of 196 kilometers from land along the entire coastline of the district. However, unfortunately, we have not found any signs of our missing sailors so far. Our search efforts have included 73 divers, 578 personnel, 2 ships. , 1 helicopter, 1 plane, 17 boats, 3 drones, 4 unmanned underwater vehicles, 7 side scanning sonar systems (YTS). The search work is carried out underwater by our rescue ships, JAK, Coast Guard, AFAD, police and the Naval Forces. “It is carried out by our divers. Again, with the help of lighting by the gendarmerie, police and AFAD, search and rescue continues at night – during the day – from land to the entire coastline at 8 points, and on the coastline by both aircraft and helicopters.”

Yerlikaya expressed his condolences to the 5 ship personnel who lost their lives and their relatives.

Stating that they held a meeting as soon as they arrived in the district and received information from the relevant people about all the work carried out so far, Yerlikaya said, “I shared my best wishes to the families of our 7 crew, who have been patiently waiting with their prayers since the beginning, and also provided information about all the work. I admire their patience and understanding. I admire their patience and understanding. “We all say ‘amen’ to their constant prayers. It is our main wish to give good news to them, our city and our country as soon as possible.” he said.

Stating that the Karadeniz Ereğli Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office supervised the work carried out under the coordination of the Governorship, Yerlikaya thanked all the institutions and employees who worked patiently day and night.

“Our state always stands by our nation”

Yerlikaya stated that the payments related to the damages to the workplaces in the district were transferred to the Governorship and said, “Our AFAD Presidency initially transferred 50 million lira of emergency aid allowance in order to eliminate the problems caused by the adverse weather conditions immediately after November 19. We also gave 39 million lira of humanitarian aid allowance from AFAD. ” he said.

Yerlikaya stated that a total of 800 thousand liras of aid was provided, 100 thousand liras each, to the relatives of 8 citizens, 5 of whom were the crew of the Kafkametler ship, who lost their lives in Zonguldak, and that approximately 34 million liras were paid to 292 workplaces, and 710 thousand liras were paid to 174 people for roof damage. noted.

Yerlikaya stated that the Ministry of Family and Social Services paid 400 thousand lira for property damage from the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation to 21 households in Zonguldak, and said:

“These payments were made to these families by our Ministry of Family and Social Services under the coordination of our District Governorship and Governorship, including 4.5 million liras in total for 920 households and property damage in Karadeniz Ereğli. Those who have not applied have suffered from both workplace damages and home and property damages.” “If there are any that have not been reached or thought of yet, we are receiving their applications and we are ready to complete them quickly.”

Yerlikaya stated that 80 percent of the damage to the schools whose roofs were blown off has been completed and that the maintenance and repairs in the schools will be completed by Tuesday at the latest, and continued as follows:

“Support payments of 5 million lira to Zonguldak Municipality and 7 million lira to Karadeniz Ereğlisi for the restoration of this (beach) park are being transferred to their accounts. Tomorrow, I will instruct our Governor and mayors to pay support for the deficiencies regarding the municipalities of the town. We will transfer that too. Our prayer and wish is this; May God protect us from a repeat, but our state and our government always stand by our beloved nation in such disaster situations. From the first moment until now, until this situation becomes normal and better than before, you should have no doubt that the Ministry of Internal Affairs As the Ministry, with all our friends in the Cabinet and relevant friends, we will continue to stand by our Zonguldak, Karadeniz Ereğli and all our provinces and districts, towns, villages and neighborhoods affected by adverse weather conditions, God willing.”

“The work will continue day and night”

Conveying President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s greetings to Zonguldak and all citizens in Karadeniz Ereğli, Yerlikaya said that Erdoğan always follows the work closely.

Yerlikaya emphasized that the search and rescue efforts for the 7-person crew of the Kafkametler ship will continue day and night, as long as the weather conditions allow, and said, “Our prayer is to deliver good news to our Karadeniz Ereğli and our beloved nation, especially their families.” said.

A press member asked: “Does the situation regarding divers’ visibility continue the same?” To the question, Yerlikaya said, “We watched their images with underwater cameras. They told us that the diver did not see even a tenth of the image that the camera saw. But despite all this, I was proud and proud of the heroism of our divers and their perseverance in the task in that atmosphere, in that risky environment that I saw. God bless you.” “Don’t let it touch a stone.” He responded.

Yerlikaya, “Will there be an effort to rescue the sinking ship?” “When this search is technically OK, with the opinion of our Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, of course we need to get him out of there as soon as possible and take him to a shallower place. I hope such a situation will not happen, but if there is a crew that still cannot be found, they will be searched both from the place where the shipwreck was found and from where it was taken.” “Search and rescue will continue.” he replied.

On the question of whether there are any substances harmful to sea water in the material carried by the ship, Yerlikaya said, “We asked about that too. In other words, both the fuel tank and the cargo of the ship, which is currently in three parts, do not have a negative impact on the sea or the environment for now. “But we need to act quickly. We need to complete this process as soon as possible and give good news.” he said.

Yerlikaya then visited the tradesmen who were damaged in the flood in the district center, wished them “get well soon” and greeted the citizens.

Minister of Internal Affairs Ali Yerlikaya was accompanied by Zonguldak Governor Osman Hacıbektaşoğlu, Karadeniz Ereğli District Governor Mehmet Yapıcı, AK Party Zonguldak Deputies Muammer Avcı, Saffet Bozkurt and Ahmet Çolakoğlu, Zonguldak Mayor Ömer Selim Alan and other relevant persons.