At least eight people have died and eighteen others remain missing after a passenger ferry capsized off the coast of Kyrenia in northern Cyprus on Sunday. The ferry had 267 people on board at the time it went down.
Ünal Üstel, prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, confirmed the vessel had been carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members when it began taking on water shortly after departing Kyrenia at around 12:30 local time. The boat was struck by two waves in succession, the first knocking it off course and the second causing it to take on water before capsizing. The ship has since sunk completely. Authorities are attempting to recover its black box recorder to establish what happened.
The vast majority of those on board have been rescued. Helicopters, coastguard vessels, and ambulances were deployed to the scene immediately. Mustafa Koc, a local boat owner who said he personally helped save around 65 people, told the BBC the crew should not have departed.
“The sea was quite choppy. It wasn’t safe for them,” he said.
He also noted the boat had arrived in Kyrenia on Saturday with visible damage to its front section.
The ferry had originally been scheduled to sail to Turkey on Saturday but was delayed due to poor weather conditions. The decision to depart on Sunday, despite persisting rough seas, is now at the centre of the investigation. The ship’s captain and seven crew members have been detained as part of an inquiry into how the tragedy occurred.
The Search for Accountability
Üstel was unequivocal about accountability.
“No one will be spared, regardless of who they are, who is found to be at fault or responsible,” he wrote on social media.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent condolences and confirmed that search and rescue operations were continuing.
The operator of the vessel, Filo Denizcilik, said it was “deeply saddened” by the incident. A hotline has been established for relatives seeking information about those who were on board. The nationalities of passengers and the condition of the injured have not yet been confirmed.
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