A dry cargo vessel broke in two in the Black Sea off Turkey's northwest coast, television images showed early on Sunday, while the 11-man crew was rescued.

Mongolian flag carrying Leonardo, a 114-meter-long dry cargo ship, started buckling and broke in two while on anchor off Istanbul's Kilyos coast.

Half of the ship was taken ashore by tugboats, while the remainder is in the water gradually sinking.

Eight ships, including search and rescue towboats Kurtarma-3 and Nene Hatun, were sent to the scene by the General Directorate of Coastal Safety.

The rescued crew members were taken to the hospital.

Media reports said the ship, constructed in 1975, was going to Istanbultarget="_blank"'>