Authorities in Northern Cyprus have detained the ferry’s captain and seven crew members following a maritime disaster that resulted in at least eight deaths. The catamaran-style vessel, carrying 270 people, capsized on Sunday shortly after departing from the port city known as Kyrenia in Greek and Girne in Turkish. While 241 individuals have been successfully rescued, search and rescue teams are still working to locate 18 passengers who remain missing.
The vessel began taking on water just a few kilometres off the coast at approximately 12:30pm local time (09:30 GMT). According to Erhan Arikli, the transport minister of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, passengers have leveled serious allegations against the crew. These claims include reports that the vessel’s doors were locked and that the captain abandoned the ship. Other survivors reported that the ferry began flooding shortly after departure and that crew members ignored earlier warnings about the vessel’s condition.
President Tufan Erhurman, who visited the site, described the incident as the worst maritime disaster in the history of the region. He confirmed that the wreckage is currently resting at a depth of 514 metres (approximately 1,690 feet). In response to the tragedy, the Northern Cyprus coastguard command has launched a massive search operation, supported by passenger ships, five pilotage units, and two helicopters. Turkish naval forces have also contributed six additional units to the effort.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed his condolences via social media, stating that his government has mobilized all available resources to assist in the rescue operations. Meanwhile, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, a spokesman for the government of the Republic of Cyprus, offered immediate assistance, emphasizing that the protection of human life remains the primary priority during this crisis.
The Ministry of Health in Northern Cyprus has confirmed that all local hospitals are on alert to provide urgent medical care to survivors. As the investigation into the cause of the sinking proceeds, Minister Arikli announced that his ministry will conduct a formal inquiry independent of the ongoing police investigation. The self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which occupies less than one-third of the island, is currently the only entity to recognize its own administration.
Television footage from the scene captured the vessel overturned in the water, with survivors wearing life vests gathered on the orange hull. Despite the severity of the sinking, weather conditions in the area were reported as sunny, allowing for a swift deployment of rescue and health services to the site of the disaster. The report also notes that including the crew, had been on board the ferry and that 241 people had been rescued, he said that 267 people. The report also notes that it added that hospitals in the territory had been alerted so they could provide any medical attention that might be needed.