Rescue operations are continuing urgently more than twenty-four hours after a ferry capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus. Authorities have confirmed that eight people lost their lives in the disaster, while search teams remain deployed to locate 18 passengers who are still missing. Local officials stated that 19 survivors are currently receiving medical treatment at various hospitals across northern Cyprus for injuries sustained during the accident.
The vessel, identified as a high-speed Filo Jet passenger boat, was carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members when it departed from the coastal town of Kyrenia. The privately owned ship was en route to Tasucu in Turkey when it began taking on water shortly after leaving port. The journey had originally been scheduled for Saturday but was delayed due to adverse weather conditions before finally setting sail on Sunday.
Waves and Sinking Details
Ünal Üstel, Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, explained to local media outlets that the vessel was struck by two consecutive waves. While the captain was attempting to stabilize the ship following the initial impact, a second massive wave hit the vessel, causing it to take on water rapidly. Officials report that the boat has completely sunk and currently rests at a depth of 514 meters on the seabed.
Debris from the wreckage remains scattered across the water surface, including a black wheelie suitcase and a detached sheet of steel. Investigators are working to recover the ferry's black box recorder to determine the exact sequence of events leading up to the sinking. In response to the catastrophe, the government announced a three-day period of national mourning.
Arrests and Operational Background
Law enforcement authorities moved swiftly following the disaster, arresting the ship's captain, seven crew members, and one other individual. Additionally, arrest warrants have been issued for seven additional people as part of the ongoing investigation. Filo Denizcilik, the company responsible for operating the passenger vessel, expressed deep sadness over the tragic incident.
According to maritime tracking data, the 40-meter-long and 10-meter-wide vessel sailed under the flag of Turkey. The northern third of Cyprus has remained politically divided since 1974, with the TRNC administration being recognized exclusively by Turkey.
Families Await News at the Port
Anxious relatives continue to gather at the port in Kyrenia, desperately waiting for updates about their missing loved ones. Among those missing are the two children of Ayten Bicer, who recounted the horrifying moment her 12-year-old daughter Miray and six-year-old son Mehmet Asaf were separated from her as they clung to the overturned hull.
Bicer described how a falling suitcase forced her daughter out of her grasp. Although she managed to catch hold of the child's foot, the footwear was coated in slick engine oil from the vessel, causing the young girl to slip through her hands entirely. Bicer and her husband Hayri remain at the harbor alongside other grieving families awaiting news from the rescue teams.
