Turkish-ship sinks, two seamen die, four missing

Rome - Two seamen died and four more were missing, feared drowned, after a Turkish-registered merchant ship sank off Italy on Sunday following a collision with another vessel in rough seas, coastguards said.

The two victims were part of a crew of 11 Turkish nationals aboard the ship when it collided with another, Belize-registered, vessel in storm conditions about a mile and a half (two kilometres) off the port of Ravenna on Italy's Adriatic coast.

The accident occurred as Italy was attempting to co-ordinate the evacuation of hundreds of passengers and crew from a stricken ferry off the Greek island of Corfu, in the south of the Adriatic.

The ferry had been destined for the Italian port of Ancona when a fire broke out on board.