Turkish authorities reported on Monday that Russian Nikolay Svechnikov was missing at the Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race held in Istanbul on Sunday.

Turkish National Olympic Committee (TNOC) said that search and rescue operations had been launched after race officials reported Svechnikov as missing, and after all other athletes emerged from the waterway that separates Europe and Asia.

The 37th annual race attracted more than 2,800 participants from 81 different countries. The swimmers swam 6.5 km along the Bosphorus Strait to cross from Asia into Europe, through the center of Istanbul.

The Coast Guard, the police, and the fire department, among other units, monitored the swimmers on the course.

The disappearance of an athlete has left us deeply saddened, despite the fact that the race was held in accordance with the highest safety standards. The Olympic Committee stated that it is working closely with Coast Guard and Security Units to investigate the incident.

Anadolu, the state-owned news agency, reported that the Istanbul prosecutor’s office was investigating this incident. Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun, Murad Sezzer and Ed Osmond; editing by Jonathan Spicer & Ed Osmond

(source: Reuters)