Eight people are missing after a cargo ship sank off Turkey's Black Sea coast Tuesday evening.

Officials say the Cambodian-flagged freighter, Vera, went down in stormy weather near Eregli town in the northern province of Zonguldak.

Governor of Zonguldak Province, Erol Ayyildiz, said three of the 11 people on board have been rescued. They have been hospitalized in Eregli.

“A 114-meter Cambodian-flagged freighter carrying cargo from Russia to Izmir Province sank earlier tonight. Three people have been rescued so far. One of them is the ship's cook, a woman, and the two are captains. There was a total of 11 crew on the ship. One of them is Georgian, the others are citizens of Ukraine.”

Tug boats and a helicopter assisted in the search while police scoured the shore Tuesday. The governor said rescue efforts will continue until the remaining eight are found. He said if they are not found a team of divers will be sent to look for them in the waters surrounding the ship.

“We hope to reach them so they can be with their families again. If we can't reach them tonight, we'll send divers out to the ship to try to find them in the morning. We're searching a wide area to try to locate them.”

The vessel was carrying scrap metal from Russia to Turkey at the time of the accident. Survivors say it sank within minutes.

Turkey, as well as a large part of Europe, has been hit by a cold snap that has blanketed much of the country in snow, blocked access to many villages and disrupted traffic.