CANAKKALE, Turkey

Turkish coast guards evacuated Monday passengers from a ferry which had run aground over the weekend off the country’s western shore.

On Saturday, a passenger ferry got into trouble amid strong winds in the Gokceada district near the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait in the Aegean Sea, a Turkish coast guard official said.

According to an Anadolu Agency correspondent in the region, 188 passengers were evacuated safely.

Only eight crew members and around 40 vehicles remain on board the stricken "Gokceada-1."

The Gokceada Coast Guard has sent a towing vessel to assess damage to the ferry, an official added.

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the incident.