Rahmi Temel, the second captain of the vessel Tuğberk İmamoğlu, which sank after colliding with the vessel Alsu off the coast of Silivri, was laid to rest with military honours in İzmir.
Sea-news.az reports that the vessel Tuğberk İmamoğlu collided with the ship Alsu off the coast of Silivri on September 2 and sank. While search operations continued for the nine crew members aboard the sunken vessel, a man’s body was discovered on October 29. Following an examination at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, the remains were identified as those of the vessel’s second captain, retired Senior Chief Petty Officer and naval non-commissioned officer Rahmi Temel.
After being handed over to his family, Temel’s body was taken to İzmir. A military funeral ceremony was held for him at Hacı Mustafa Beşikçioğlu Mosque in the Karşıyaka district at noon today.
The ceremony was attended by Rahmi Temel’s wife, 61-year-old Semra, his daughters Merve, 34, and Aslı, 31, his son Remzi Temel, relatives and members of the public. Following the funeral prayer, the coffin, draped in the Turkish flag, was carried by the military honour guard to the funeral vehicle. Rahmi Temel was buried at Örnekköy Cemetery.
“IT HURTS US DEEPLY”
Merve Temel said that her father had been unable to give up the sea even after retiring from military service.
“After raising us and providing us with an education, he took a break from work for a while. He occasionally went out to sea. For the last year and a half, he had been saying that he would no longer go on voyages. But we could not separate him from the sea. Even when he boarded an ordinary ferry, he would immediately watch the engines and the captains. He loved swimming. We used to swim together for hours. We were deeply attached to each other. We did everything together. He was the one who instilled a love of the sea in us. But now the sea has taken him away from us.
He had joined this company just one week before the incident. It was his first voyage. We loved our father very much. Losing him in such a seemingly simple accident causes us unbearable pain,” she said.
“OUR PAIN WILL NEVER FADE”
Merve Temel continued:
“On September 5, the location of the sunken vessel was identified at a depth of 720 metres. The authorities told us that it was impossible to recover the bodies from the wreck. We knew that technology existed to make this possible, and that is why we insisted. We have been fighting for two months to reach our father. His body was recovered from a depth of 720 metres. We are grateful that they have returned our father to us.
We hope that the other seafarers will also be found. We have found some relief, but we will continue to follow the process until the remaining crew members are recovered. We will not stop insisting. Please bring them all up. This accident is a terrible tragedy.
It is now our responsibility to ensure that old vessels are no longer allowed to put to sea carrying such heavy loads. This accident happened because of an inexperienced captain who attempted to cross our vessel’s route. As the vessel was unable to cope with the water ingress, it sank in just three minutes. Our pain will never fade. We will do everything possible to ensure that those responsible are held accountable. We will seek answers from the captain of the vessel involved in the collision and from those responsible for failing to properly regulate maritime traffic.”
“WE WANT THE SEARCH OPERATIONS TO CONTINUE”
Speaking on behalf of the Platform of Families of Those Who Lost Their Lives at Sea, Recep Yılmaz said:
“I am one of the representatives of the ten families who lost loved ones in the tragedy off the coast of Silivri. After 59 days, we managed to recover the body of our second captain, Rahmi Temel. We ask the authorities to continue the operations so that the other eight families can also have a grave where they can visit their loved ones. We demand that the remains be returned to their families.
In a sense, we are relieved today. We have recovered the remains of one of our loved ones, and now there is a grave. His family will be able to visit it and pay their respects. I extend my condolences to the family and wish them strength and patience during this difficult time.”
