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A toxic leak aboard a Panama-flagged tanker killed one crew member and injured two others off the coast of Istanbul on Wednesday evening, according to the Istanbul governorate.
The incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. local time on the vessel Swanlake, located approximately two nautical miles south of Demokrasi ve Ozgurlukler Adasi, an island in the Marmara Sea. Turkish authorities received reports of poisoning aboard the ship and dispatched multiple emergency response teams to the scene.
Initial assessments suggest the leak originated from the tanker's refrigerated storage compartment, the governorate said in a statement. The exact substance involved in the leak has not been disclosed.
All 13 crew members aboard the vessel are Russian nationals. While one crew member was pronounced dead, two others who suffered from poisoning were placed under medical observation. Evacuation operations for the remaining 10 crew members and the two injured personnel were underway as of Wednesday evening.
Turkish Coast Guard units, Marine Police, UMKE emergency medical teams, and AFAD KRBN disaster response specialists were sent to assist with the emergency. AFAD's KRBN teams specialize in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents.
The governorate did not provide additional details about the tanker's cargo, destination, or the circumstances that led to the leak in the refrigeration system.
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