At least two people died and another four were missing on Monday after a ship carrying coal sent a distress signal off the northern coast of Turkey, the coast guard and the local governor's office said.
The Turkish news agency Anadolu put the death toll at six and reported that another seven were still missing.
Initial reports cited the Samsun governor's office as saying that the crew included nine Ukraine nationals, two Azerbaijan nationals and two Russians.
But the Russian Embassy in Turkey on Monday afternoon denied any Russian nationals had been on board the vessel in a Twitter post. It cited the Turkish coast guard as saying there were 11 Ukrainian crew members, not nine.
The Panama-flagged vessel, which departed from Russia's Azov port, sent out a distress signal around 148 kilometers off the northeastern Black Sea province of Samsun, the coast guard said. The coast guard said the distress signal was received regarding a "possible sinking" of the ship.
Includes reporting by Reuters.
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