A Turkish ship carrying liquefied petroleum gas sank near the entrance of the Bosporus waterway, forcing authorities to close the narrow channel, part of the sole sea link between the Black Sea and Mediterranean, officials said. The ship sank late Saturday in the Marmara Sea off Istanbul's suburban Zeytinburnu neighborhood, authorities said. Rescuers safely retrieved the vessel's eight crew members and managed overnight to drag the ship's seven 22-ton petroleum gas tanks to shore, authorities said. But the narrow Bosporus, part of the only sea passage between the Black Sea and Mediterranean, was closed Sunday to shipping as a precaution, local officials said. Some local ferry services were also canceled. The Anatolia news agency said one of the tanks was punctured, but official Baris Tozar said there no environmental damage. Authorities were investigating the cause of the accident, Tozar added.
