A Turkish cargo ship with 12 people on board sank off Türkiye's Black Sea coast during a storm on Sunday and authorities have been unable to make contact with the crew, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Monday.

The captain of the Turkish-flagged Kafkametler reported on Sunday morning that the ship was drifting toward a breakwater off Eregli, in northwest Türkiye's Zonguldak province, the provincial governor's office said earlier.

The region was hit by powerful storms on Sunday and the governor's office said the bad weather prevented air and sea vessels from carrying out searches.

"When the adverse weather conditions improve, search and rescue activities will start immediately," Yerlikaya told reporters.