25.10.2026 15:52
It was learned that the person who lost his life when a private boat sank off the coast of the Ayvalık district of Balıkesir was Op. Dr. Şahin Bingüllü, one of the doctors in the Ear, Nose and Throat Department of Burhaniye State Hospital. While 8 of the 9 people on the boat were rescued, the survivors said that when the boat began taking on water, Bingüllü put life jackets on the children. Bingüllü’s body was taken to the morgue of Ayvalık State Hospital.
A doctor who set out to sea with friends to fish in Ayvalık lost his life when the boat sank. Survivors recounted Bingüllü’s final moments in tears.
SANK OFF KARA ADA
Following a report that a private boat sank off Kara Ada yesterday evening, Coast Guard teams were dispatched to the area. As a result of search and rescue efforts, 8 of the 9 people on the boat were rescued. The lifeless body of Specialist Dr. Şahin Bingüllü, who had been reported missing, was reached this morning. Bingüllü’s body was taken to the morgue of Ayvalık State Hospital. Bingüllü’s relatives, who gathered in front of the hospital, experienced great sorrow.
“HE PUT THE LIFE VESTS ON THE CHILDREN”
Metin Özmen, one of the survivors of the sinking boat, said that they had set out to sea with his friends to fish and decided to return due to weather conditions. Özmen recounted what happened as follows:
“On our way back, for some reason we couldn’t understand, our boat started taking on water; the captain handed out the life vests from inside. Our teacher Şahin Bingüllü put the vests on the children. Everyone put on their life vests. We called the Coast Guard and explained our situation. Our teacher was fine at first. He put on his life vest and got into the sea. We talked there for 15–20 minutes. After that, when the waves came, we lost contact. After our teacher put on his life vest, when the water rose, he got into the water. After that, we never saw him again.”
“HE ASKED THE CHILDREN RIDDLES”
Murat Eygin, another survivor, recounted that Bingüllü had called him and said he wanted to go fishing. Noting that the weather deteriorated after they set out to sea, Eygin said, “I even said to Teacher Şahin, ‘Teacher, the fish aren’t biting much; let’s turn back if you want.’ He said, ‘Yes, Murat, let’s turn back; the fish aren’t coming.’ On the way back, because my son and my friend’s son were cold, we put them into the cabin at the front of the boat. We pulled up the anchor; we were heading back now.”
Eygin, saying that Bingüllü also moved next to the children because he was cold, said, “He even played games with the children there. He asked the children riddles. Then my son came and said, ‘Dad, the boat is taking on water.’ When it started taking on water, they brought out the life vests; our teacher distributed them to everyone, and even put them on the children. In the end, for some reason we couldn’t understand, the boat sank from the rear.”
“WE WERE ALL DESPERATELY SHOUTING ‘HELP’”
Describing how the inside of the boat filled with water, Eygin continued as follows:
“We held on to the railings; our teacher was in the water. Our friend was constantly talking to the teacher. He was asking whether he was okay, and our teacher was saying he was okay. We were all desperately shouting ‘help.’ Then the Coast Guard came; we could no longer hear our teacher’s voice. We informed the teams that picked us up that there was one more person in the sea. We later came to the hospital, and then we learned that our teacher had passed away.”
“HE LOVED FISHING VERY MUCH”
Eygin, saying that Bingüllü loved fishing very much, used the expressions, “He would even say to me, ‘I wish I had come earlier; I like fishing more than eating.’”