The bodies of three sailors from the Arvin bulk carrier, which sank off the coast of Turkey on Sunday, have been discovered as of Monday morning, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said citing information provided by Turkey.

"According to Turkish authorities, as of 10:00 on January 18, six crewmembers have been rescued (five citizens of Ukraine and one citizen of Russia), and the bodies of three deceased sailors were found (their identification is ongoing)," the ministry said in a statement published on its website on Monday.

The rescued crewmembers have been hospitalized in the city of Bartin, and the search and rescue operation is continuing.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Turkey and several consular workers have arrived in Bartin to provide the Ukrainians with consular assistance and coordinate collaboration with the relevant Turkish agencies. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and embassy to Turkey have taken the incident under special control.

The Ukrainian embassy to Turkey said later the Ukrainians rescued from the sunken vessel had been discharged from the hospital.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported earlier that the Arvin (IMO 8874316, sailing under the flag of Palau) sank near the coast of Turkey's Bartin province on January 17. Tentative findings indicate that the wreck might have been caused by a heavy storm. The vessel had 12 crewmembers on board, among them ten Ukrainian citizens, it said. The Ukrainian company Arvin Shipping LTD has been named as the vessel's owner.

The Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport (Rosmorrechflot) has said there were two Russian citizens onboard the bulker.