Special forces freed early on Saturday 22 people who had been held hostage by a Kurdish militant onboard a ferry in waters off north-west Turkey, national media said.
The hijacker was killed in the operation. No other injuries were reported, Istanbul Mayor Avni Mutlu told Turkish television. Mutlu also said had been armed with some kind of “device.”
The ferry, named Kartepe, was travelling in the Sea of Marmara when it was seized on Friday evening.
Initial reports said the ferry had been taken over by five militants from the armed wing of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is seeking greater autonomy in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated south-east.
The Turkish army has been carrying out an operation against the PKK in recent months.
