The crew of a freighter sailing under the Turkish flag was evacuated in heavy storms off the southern tip of Madagascar, local media reported Thursday, according to dpa. The reconnaissance ships San Jose and Giovanni Topic rushed to the aid of the freighter Gulser Ana after the Centre for Fishing Control on the small island of Reunion near Madagascar notified Malagasy authorities Wednesday about the precarious situation on the freighter. The reconnaissance ships were able to safely rescue all 23 of the Gulser Ana's crew despite the bad weather conditions, the Reunion daily Les Nouvelles reported. Malagasy authorities have formed a crisis committee to deal with the 189-metre-long ship, which is carrying 39,000 tons of phosphate. The ship was reportedly 3 kilometres south of Cap Sainte Marie, Magadascar's southernmost point.
