MOSCOW, April 27. /TASS/. The Russian Black Sea Fleet's research ship Liman sank after it collided with a freighter in the waters near the Bosphorus, yet the vessel’s entire crew was rescued, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

"The ship Liman sank as a result of sustaining a hull breach below the waterline. All of the crew members of the Black Sea Fleet’s research vessel Liman are safe and sound and are preparing for evacuation from a Turkish rescue vessel to a Russian ship," the Defense Ministry said.

The Russian sailors were taken onboard two motor boats of the Turkish Coast Guard.

"At the moment, all of the Russian sailors, 78 people, whose research ship collided with a cargo vessel in the Black Sea, have been rescued. No one is dead or missing," a Turkish coast guard official told TASS.

Black Sea incident

As Russia’s Defense Ministry reported earlier, the research vessel Liman sustained a hull breach on the starboard below the waterline after it collided with the ship Ashot-7 at 11:53 Moscow time (08:53 GMT) in the southwestern portion of the Black Sea 40 km northwest of the Bosporus Strait.

Russian Black Sea Fleet ships were dispatched to the scene of the incident. The fleet’s rescue team flew to the collision site aboard an Antonov An-26 plane.

The Togo-flagged Youzarsif-H, with which the Russian research vessel collided, was not damaged in the incident and the crew did not request assistance.

The freighter is designed for carrying cattle. The collision occurred 18 nautical miles to the north of Turkey’s coast in the area of Kilyos, near the Bosphorus Strait.

The incident may have been caused by poor visibility due to the fog.