Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the death of Turkish nationals in an accident in which two ships caught fire during fuel transfer in neutral waters of the Black Sea.

Axar.az reports citing Russian media.

"I would like to express condolences in connection with the death of Turkish nationals. The incident occurred off our territorial waters, in neutral waters," Putin said in the opening remarks at the talks.

The tragedy occurred as fuel was being pumped from one vessel to another, the Russian leader said. "Our services indeed reacted promptly, did their utmost to rescue the people, but still this is a big tragedy for the families, for those who were injured," Putin added.

On January 21, a fire broke out onboard two vessels owned by a Turkish company near the Kerch Strait off Russia’s territorial waters.

One of the vessels, the Candy, had a crew of 17, including nine Turkish citizens and eight Indian nationals. The other one, the Maestro, had a crew of 15 consisting of Turkish and Indian citizens.