North Cyprus Ferry Sinks: 237 Rescued, 8 Dead, 20+ Missing

Passenger Ferry Sinks off Northern Cyprus: 237 Rescued, 8 Dead, More Than 20 Missing

Authorities in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are searching for more than 20 passengers from a passenger ferry that sank shortly after leaving the port of Kyrenia for the Turkish town of Taşucu. According to the latest information, 237 of the 267 passengers and crew members were rescued, while eight people died.

The Filojet catamaran ferry, one of several vessels operating daily services between Northern Cyprus and Turkey, began taking on water shortly after leaving the port at around 12:30 p.m. local time. After travelling just four nautical miles (6.5 kilometres), the vessel capsized.

Efe Multici, one of the rescued passengers, spoke to CNN Türk. He said the vessel was moving very badly, repeatedly rising out of the water and then falling heavily, while shaking violently. According to him, the ferry suddenly rose into the air and then crashed back into the water. The front left side of the vessel then cracked and water rushed inside.

Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said the catamaran was hit by two powerful waves. The captain tried to keep the vessel under control after the first wave, but it began taking on water after the second wave hit.

Footage filmed from helicopters showed people wearing life jackets sitting on the small part of the hull that remained above the water. However, a CNN source said that some passengers jumped into the sea without life jackets.

Several hours later, after everyone who had been on the vessel or rescued from the sea had been evacuated, the ferry sank completely. The reported depth at the site of the accident is 514 metres.

Rescue Operation

After the distress signal was received, a passenger ship, four coast guard boats from Northern Cyprus, five similar vessels from Turkey and two helicopters rushed to the scene.

“We reached 237 people, but we also recovered the bodies of seven people who died. We are deeply saddened by this. We still cannot reach 23 people. Search and rescue teams are working intensively to find them. If these people are still inside the vessel, reaching them will apparently be difficult,” said Northern Cyprus leader Tufan Erhürman.

The search and rescue operation is continuing as authorities look for more than 20 missing passengers.