Six Georgian sailors onboard Turkish ship shelled off Libya coast

The fate of six Georgian sailors reported to be onboard a Turkish cargo ship that was attacked near the Libyan port city of Tobruk on Sunday, is unknown.

The Maritime Transport Agency of Georgia revealed they had only been informed about the incident about 2pm today and were now trying to find out further details.

The Agency noted the six Georgian men aboard the ship were sailors.

A Turkish ship officer was killed and several crew members were injured, Reuters reported.

The incident took place on Sunday night. The Turkish Foreign Ministry today said the ship was first shelled from the shore as it approached the area, then was attacked twice more from the air as it attempted to leave the area.

The MV Tuna 1, sailing under the Cook Islands flag, was transporting dry cargo from Spain to the Libyan port when it came under attack. The Ministry said the attack happened when the ship was in international waters.

A military source told Reuters the vessel had caught fire and was towed in to Tobruk terminal.

A Libyan military spokesman said the vessel came under attack after ignoring a warning not to approach the city of Derna, some 145 km west of Tobruk.

"A ship was shelled about 10 miles from Derna coast. We have warned before about approaching Derna port," Mohamed Hejazi, a spokesman for forces with Libya's internationally recognised government, told Reuters. He confirmed one member of the crew was killed, but said that only one other sustained injuries.