Türkiye probes death aboard drone-hit ship off Russia

Turkish prosecutors have opened an investigation into the death of a crew member aboard a Panama-flagged cargo ship that was struck by multiple drones off Russia before it entered Turkish territorial waters, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said on Monday.

The commercial vessel ASOMATOS was among ships damaged in drone attacks in Russian waters on July 16 and later continued its voyage, according to a statement from the prosecutor’s office.

The ship entered Turkish waters on July 17 and anchored about 3 nautical miles off Kisirkaya Beach in Istanbul’s Sariyer district.

An investigation was launched immediately after Turkish Coast Guard officials notified prosecutors that one crew member had been killed during the attacks, the statement said.

A prosecutor and crime scene investigation team travelled to the vessel by sea to examine the ship, collect evidence and oversee an autopsy of the deceased crew member, who is believed to have been an Indonesian national.

Preliminary information showed that 24 people were aboard the ship, including three Russian port officials, three Greek nationals, four Egyptian nationals and 14 Indonesian nationals.