A ferry has capsized off the coast of Cyprus shortly after departing from Kyrenia for the Turkish port of Tasucu, with seven confirmed dead and 23 missing from the 270 people who were on board
At least seven people are dead with another 23 missing after a ferry overturned off the coast of Cyprus early on Sunday afternoon (August 30).
The vessel was approximately 2km north of Kyrenia when it went down, prompting Turkish Cypriot coastguard boats to respond.
A rescue helicopter and additional vessels from Kyrenia were also dispatched to the search and rescue operation. Turkish Cypriot Kyrenia mayor Murat Senkul confirmed 270 people were aboard and described the situation as “serious”.
The most recent figures show that seven have died, with 23 missing and 237 rescued, reports the Express. “There has been a huge deployment to the area as part of the search-and-rescue effort affiliated with the Northern Cyprus Coast Guard Command,” Al Jazeera correspondent Resul Serdar said.
The Coast Guard Command reportedly dispatched passenger ferries, five pilot boats and two coast guard helicopters, while the Turkish Naval Forces sent a further six naval vessels. The catamaran had departed Kyrenia (Girne) and began taking on water a few kilometres offshore.
Ustel said there were 267 people on board, including crew, when the vessel capsized, Al Jazeera reported. Northern Cyprus Transport Minister Erhan Arikli told Turkey’s Anadolu news agency that rescuers were bringing any injured passengers back to Girne port before transferring them to nearby hospitals.
He said the cause of the incident would be investigated, as per Al Jazeera. “What we know is that a privately operated passenger ferry, a catamaran, departed the port of Girne at around 12:30pm local time [09:30 GMT] for Tasucu port in Turkiye’s southern city of Mersin, and began taking on water for an as-yet-unknown reason shortly after leaving the port,” Serdar reported.
Footage aired on Turkish TV showed the ferry capsized in the water, with lifejacketed people gathered on top of its orange hull. Conditions appeared calm and sunny, and several nearby boats were seen approaching to help.
The Ministry of Health of Northern Cyprus said in a statement: “All necessary preparations are being made for a swift response from rescue and health services.”
The north’s health ministry sent a fleet of ambulances to the passenger terminal at Kyrenia’s new port ahead of the expected arrival of lifeboats and other vessels bringing passengers ashore, saying that “all the necessary preparations have been made to ensure that health services can be provided quickly”, Cyprus Mail reported.
The company which operates the capsized passenger boat says it is “deeply saddened by the tragic accident”, the BBC reported. Filo Denizcilik says after the vessel, named Filo Jet, capsized it mobilised resources to co-ordinate with search and rescue teams.
The company also reportedly says a hotline has been set up to provide passengers’ relatives with information.
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