NewsWorld newsEmergencyTwo ships have collided near Istanbul, with a major search and rescue operation launched for one vessel and its 10 crew members08:27, 02 Sep 2026Updated 09:18, 02 Sep 2026A major search and rescue operation is underway off the coast of Turkey after two ships collided near Istanbul and contact was lost with one vessel carrying 10 crew members, officials said.‌The collision took place at 3am local time (1am UK time) in the Marmara Sea - just over 20 miles south of Silivri, a western suburb of Turkey's largest city, the Istanbul governor's office said.‌Contact was lost with the crew of the Tugberk Imamoglu, flagged to Turkey, after it crashed with the Turkish-flagged Alsu, which appeared undamaged.‌"Numerous naval units from the coast guard's Marmara and Bosphorus Command and a coast guard helicopter were dispatched to the scene," the office added.Article continues belowThe Tugberk Imamoglu is a 90-meter (295-foot) cargo ship which was traveling from Iskenderun on Turkey's Mediterranean coast to Eregli in the Black Sea.The 91-meter (298-foot) Alsu, an oil or chemical tanker, was sailing from Kocaeli, east of Istanbul, to Aliaga on the Aegean coast, according to MarineTraffic.The Turkish Straits, which comprise the Bosphorus Strait and Dardanelles Strait at either end of the Marmara Sea, are among the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with hundreds of thousands of vessels transiting between the Mediterranean and Black Seas each year.Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Breaking NewsMissing personsTurkey (Türkiye)Emergency