14 Egyptians injured, 1 missing in Turkey cargo ship blast: Minister

CAIRO – 26 December 2022: 14 Egyptian crew members have been injured in a recent explosion of a cargo ship off the coast of Turkey, Egypt’s Minister of Immigration Soha El-Gendy said in a statement on Monday.

Three of the injured are in a critical condition and the Egyptian captain of the ship, Hossam Thabet, is missing, said the minister.

Gendy noted that the Egyptian Embassy in Ankara is cooperating with the relevant authorities in Turkey to find the missing captain.

The minister said she is following closely along with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs the developments of the recent explosion, which injured a total of 17 crew members.

Gendy added that she is following up continuously on the condition of the injured, which are being treated in one of the hospitals in Turkey, and wishes the injured a speedy recovery.

Gendy affirmed that she is also following up on efforts to find the missing captain.

Loaded by coal, the Panamanian ship BEATA exploded in the Black Sea off the Turkish coast with 17 members on board, including a Georgian, a Ukrainian, and an Albanian, Al-Arabiya reported.

In remarks to Al-Arabiya, the missing captain’s cousin, Mohamed Karim, said the incident occurred last Tuesday.

Karim added that Thabet is a father of a son and two daughters, affirming that his family is grieving for him as his fate is still unclear.

The cause of the explosion is still unclear.