Türkiye launches probe into death aboard ship hit by drones 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 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 Kısırkaya Beach in Istanbul’s Sarıyer 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 traveled 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.

The vessel was carrying 4,751 metric tons of wheat, and no malfunction was detected in its engine systems, prosecutors said.

The ship was off the coast of Russia’s Kavkaz region, where it began waiting for its turn to load on July 16, when it came under a series of drone attacks beginning at about 12.30 am (2130GMT) on July 17, according to initial findings.

The first drone struck the starboard side of the vessel, while a second hit the funnel and deck, damaging the living quarters on the starboard side. A third drone struck the ship’s No. 3 crane.

Following instructions from the Kavkaz Traffic Control Center, the ship continued sailing south, the statement said.

The prosecutor’s office said the onboard examination and evidence-gathering work remained underway, adding that a detailed investigation into all aspects of the incident was ongoing.