‘BATUHAN A’ named ship, which sank 4 miles off the north of Karacabey district on February 15, and the search and rescue operations for the 4 missing crew members are ongoing. After the bodies of the cook Zeynep Kılınç (33) and the oiler Hüseyin Tutuk (40) were found, the 21st day of the operations has been reached. The search in the wreckage of the ship has been concluded, while operations on the sea and land continue on the shores of Karacabey and Gemlik, as well as Bandırma district of Balıkesir. Fishing trawlers and boats are supporting the search operations, and on the morning of March 3, fishermen found a body surfaced on the water. The body retrieved from the water by the Coast Guard Southern Marmara Group Command was sent to the Bursa Forensic Medicine Institute for identification.

The body, which was wearing tracksuits and whose face was unrecognizable, was identified through DNA samples taken from the families of the missing 4 crew members: Captain Hasan Mehmet Uyanık (69), chief engineer-machinist Murat Çalışkan (33), skilled sailor and also the owner of the ship Murat Altıntaş, and machine intern Ahmet Atav (22). The Bursa Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that the body was identified as the ship owner Murat Altıntaş. The statement indicated that the investigation is ongoing:

“In the context of the investigation initiated by the Karacabey Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the commercial ship named ‘Batuhan A’ that sank off the north of Karacabey District (Kurşunlu Mevkii) on 15.02.2024; it has been determined that there were 6 crew members on ‘Batuhan A’ ship, the wreckage of the ship was found at the sinking point, 2 crew members’ lifeless bodies were found during the search and rescue operations, and finally, on 03.03.2024, another lifeless body was found in the sea, and after DNA matching performed by the Forensic Medicine Institute, it was determined that the lifeless body belongs to M.A., the owner of the commercial ship ‘Batuhan A,’ the process of delivering the body to the family is ongoing. The search and rescue operations for the other missing crew members continue, the investigation is being carried out meticulously by the Karacabey Public Prosecutor’s Office, and information will be provided to the public about the progress and outcome of the investigation.”

Meanwhile, the search for the 3 missing crew members continues at sea and on the shore.