Turkish cargo ship sinks off Croatia, crew evacuated

A Turkish-flagged cargo ship was sinking off the Croatian coast today and its 13-member crew was being taken off with no pollution detected for now, the Croat transport ministry said.

The evacuation of the crew -- including 11 Turkish and two Indian nationals -- started at 0405 GMT and no one was injured.

The ship was sinking north of Vis island in the centre of the Adriatic, a ministry statement said, adding that precautions were being taken to prevent pollution.

The ship carrying 3,000 tonnes tons of sinter magnesite, used in the production of high-temperature resistant materials, as well as 70 tonnes of fuel and lubricants, it added.