Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday expressed condolences over the death of Turkish sailors in the fire on board two tankers in the Kerch Strait, stressing that Russian rescue services have done all they could to save the sailors in distress.
At least four Turkish nationals died, while eight were rescued and four went missing after the firebroke out on board two Tanzania-flagged tankers in the Kerch Strait on Monday, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
"I would like to express my condolences in regard to the death of Turkish citizens. The incident took place outside our territorial waters - in neutral waters, during the transfer of fuel from one ship to another. And our services, indeed, reacted promptly enough, did everything they could to to save people," Putin said at the start of talks with Erdogan.
