Russian Swimmer Missing After Bosphorus Race in Turkey

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A Russian swimmer went missing during an annual open-water competition in Turkey on Sunday, relatives and friends told state news agency RIA Novosti.

Nikolai Svechnikov, 29, reportedly failed to reach the finish line of the 6.5-kilometer (4 miles) Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim, which drew more than 2,800 athletes from 81 countries, including some 450 Russians.

Fellow swimmers said they last saw Svechnikov mid-race. Organizers told RIA Novosti he may have suffered fatigue, a cramp or been carried off

Search efforts began two hours after the competition ended, though Istanbul police reportedly declined to open a missing person case until 24 hours later. Witnesses also claimed they did not see rescue boats at night, despite organizers insisting the search was underway.

“The coast guard told me verbally: Be assured, all services are searching for Nikolai. I cried and begged them to show me video footage or a search point. They just took my number and repeated: ‘Don’t worry, we’re looking for him,’” a relative, identified as Alyona, told RIA Novosti.

Russia’s Consulate General in Istanbul said it planned to contact Turkish

Other swimmers criticized what they described as poor monitoring and a lack of rescue boats along the course. The competition was followed

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