Recovery of Halit Yukay‘s Body & Ongoing investigation
The body of businessman Halit Yukay was recovered from the sea on August 26th, 68 meters below the surface.The recovery was described as difficult due to the severely compromised integrity of the body, having sustained extensive damage. Consequently,a sample was sent to the Bursa Forensic Medicine Institute for DNA testing.
The incident began after Yukay spent a night in Bozcaada. According to a phone conversation with his wife at 17:09, he was nearing Marmara Island and planned to reach Bozcaada that evening. The call ended abruptly, prompting concern for his whereabouts. Tatlıtuğ contacted Yukay both by phone and message after 17:09.
An investigation was launched following the discovery of Yukay’s shattered boat. Examination of the 92-meter, 11-meter-wide freight ship ‘Arel 7’ revealed rubbing scars on its front side. Paint residue from these scars matched samples taken from the wreckage of Yukay’s boat. Microscopic analysis of the damage zone on both vessels indicated a similar physical structure in the paint layers.
The ‘Arel 7’s “black box” and navigation data (“console”) were initially unrecoverable and have been sent abroad for detailed analysis. The ship’s captain, Cemal Tokatlıoğlu, was initially detained on charges of causing death by negligence, released under judicial control with a travel ban, and subsequently re-arrested in Istanbul by the Yalova Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Statements were taken from the 13 crew members of the ‘Arel 7’. It was reported that during the time of the incident, the captain and his assistant were at dinner, and the ship was operating on an “Automatic Captain” system, raising the possibility that this contributed to the collision.
The Turkish navy dispatched two rescue and backup ships, ‘TCG Işın’ and ‘TCG Alemdar’, to assist in the recovery operation. Navy divers meticulously worked to retrieve the body, with ‘TCG Alemdar’ arriving in the region on August 26th.
Yukay had planned to travel to Greece with his family – his wife, children, and another couple with their children – on August 8th, contingent on weather conditions.
