Ferry hijacked in western Turkey's Gulf of Izmit

The passenger ferry, Kartepe, has been hijacked in the Sea of Marmara.

A passenger ferry has been seized in waters off north-west Turkey by up to five hijackers, officials say.

The ferry, named Kartepe, was travelling in the Sea of Marmara with more than 20 people on board.

The captain was allowed to give a brief interview to Turkish TV in which he said the hijackers claimed to belong to the HPG, the armed wing of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Officials said one of the hijackers claimed to be carrying a bomb.

The man was threatening to detonate the explosives if attempts were made to intercept the ferry, the NTV channel reported.

Security forces are preparing for the possibility that the hijackers might try to take the ferry to Imrali island in the Sea of Marmara, says the BBC Jonathan Head in Istanbul.

Former PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has been in jail on the island since 1999.

'Fuel for hours'

Kocaeli regional governor Ercan Topaca said the ferry was on its way from Izmit to Golcuk when it was hijacked at around 17:45 local time (15:45 GMT).

There are up to 20 passengers and six crew members on board.

Transport Minister Binali Yildirim said "four or five" hijackers had overpowered the ferry's captain but had not yet given any demands.

Earlier reports had suggested there was just one hijacker. The mayor of Izmit Ibrahim Karaosmanoglu said he had spoken to crew, who told him that the man claimed to have a bomb and he was demanding to speak to the media.

"The person hijacking the ferry said he was a member of the PKK and wanted to draw attention to it in the media," he said.

Coastguard boats were tracking the ferry, which was now close to the town of Yalova, state TV said.

Reports said it had enough fuel to keep going for several hours.

The PKK guerrillas are seeking greater autonomy in Turkey's Kurdish-dominated south-east.

Violence between the PKK and the army has increased in recent months as the government has carried out an offensive against it.

Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict since 1984.