A Turkish cargo ferry sank off the shore of Turkey's Black Sea city of Trabzon, a port official said on Saturday.

The ship "Ufuk-1" caught fire on Thursday for unknown reason and a tug-boat reached the scene Friday night to try to pull the ship, Muzaffer Ermis, the head of the Trabzon Port's Management, was quoted by the semi-official Anatolia news agency as saying.

The fire started from the ship's engine room and spread to the deck, said Ermis.

"However, the ship started to make water, and it sank at noon," added Ermis.

The 53 passengers and crew members aboard the ferry, which was sailing from Trabzon to Sochi, Russia, were rescued and brought to Trabzon Thursday night.

Source: Xinhua