- Turkey disabled a mine that was drifting in the Bosphorus Strait.
- The area was closed while authorities worked.
- Russia and Ukraine have been contacted regarding the mine.
The Turkish military disabled a mine that had drifted from the Black Sea, triggering a loud explosion in the process, days following Russia warned that several had been swept away from Ukrainian ports.
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On Saturday, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar described the object, first discovered by fishermen in the upper Bosphorus strait, as an old type of mine and said he was in contact with Russian authorities and Ukrainians on this.
The blast was heard north of Istanbul, an area where warships, military planes and helicopters were active.
Akar said in a televised statement:
The mine, deemed to be of an old type, has been neutralized by our team… and the naval forces are continuing their vigilance work.
Maritime traffic was safely opened following coordination with the Turkish Coast Guard and Naval Forces, the minister added.
Earlier on Saturday, the Coast Guard said two-way marine traffic had been suspended following a civilian commercial vessel detected an object resembling a mine.
The Coast Guard had warned ships to stay clear of the round object floating on the waves, and a dive team moved in first to investigate.
Turkey shares the Black Sea borders with Russia and Ukraine, which Moscow invaded in February.
Russia’s main intelligence agency said on Monday that several mines had drifted out to sea following severing cables near Ukrainian ports, a claim dismissed by kyiv as disinformation and an attempt to shut off parts of the sea.
Commenting on rumors that underwater mines laid by Ukraine to deter Russian attacks in the ongoing war might be drifting across the Black Sea, Akar said the Russian and Ukrainian sides had been informed and coordination was in place. In progress.
The Black Sea is a major maritime artery for grain and oil products.
It is connected to the Sea of Marmara and then to the Mediterranean Sea via the Bosphorus, which crosses the heart of Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey with 16 million inhabitants, and the Dardanelles Strait in the northwest of Turkey .
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