Istanbul, Jan 10 (AFP) Three people died after a Turkish fishing boat and a Russian-flagged tanker collided on Friday off Istanbul's northern coast, local media reported.

The Turkish boat sank after the collision at around 0330 GMT, the coastguard said in a statement.

Three people were rescued and emergency teams hunted for three others onboard the fishing vessel around Kilyos, where the Bosphorus meets the Black Sea.

Divers found their bodies in the sunken ship later in the day at a depth of 80 metres, according to broadcaster NTV.

The Russian tanker named GLARD-2 was travelling to the Aegean region of

Izmir from Russia, the coastguard said.

The cause of the incident was not immediately clear. (AFP)

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