ANKARA (REUTERS) - A dry cargo vessel broke in two in the Black Sea off Turkey's north-west coast, television images showed early on Sunday (Aug 27), while the 11-man crew was rescued.

Mongolian flag carrying Leonardo, a 114m-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.

Turkish media reports said the ship, constructed in 1975, was going to Istanbul's Tuzla dockyard for repairs.