Navy tugboat capsizes in western Turkey, killing 10 workers

ANKARA, TURKEY (BNO NEWS) -- A Turkish Navy tugboat capsized Monday at a shipyard on the Aegean coast in western Turkey after it had underwent weeks of repairs, killing at least ten soldiers and civilian personnel, the army said. Several other people were believed to remain missing.

The incident happened on early Monday afternoon at the Alaybey Naval Shipyard in KarÅıyaka district of western Izmir province when workers were attempting to lower the tugboat TCG Degirmendere into the waters of the Aegean Sea. It caused the vessel to suddenly take on water before completely tilting onto its right side.

"According to the initial information received, some military and civilian personnel are missing, and rescue efforts are continuing," the army said in a brief statement. It later added that at least 10 staff were killed and 17 others were injured, but none of those injured were suffering from life-threatening injuries.

Among those injured were six soldiers who jumped into the sea themselves before the vessel capsized, the Hürriyet newspaper reported on its website. The army's statement did not specify how many of those killed were military or civilian, but a report from the Milliyet newspaper said eight were believed to have been soldiers and the remaining two were civilian personnel.

Witnesses said the accident occurred suddenly and quickly, with the tugboat completely onto its right side in about 20 seconds. It was not immediately known what caused Monday's accident, but the army said the vessel had been undergoing scheduled maintenance activities since November 27.

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