Ferry death toll off Kyrenia rises to eight as 17 remain missing

Kyrenia, Cyprus. The death toll from the ferry disaster off the coast of Kyrenia has risen to eight, while 17 people remain missing, Turkish Cypriot “minister of public works and transport” Erhan Arıklı said. Search and rescue operations are continuing.

Deep-sea search preparations

Speaking to BRT, Arıklı said the sunken vessel had settled on the seabed at a depth of 514 metres. Fully equipped vessels and specialised divers were expected to arrive from Turkey within hours to carry out deep-sea search operations.

Arıklı urged the public to disregard disinformation on social media concerning the cause of the disaster. He said the vessel had been inspected two months earlier at the “Akdeniz” shipyard by “Türk Loydu”, which he described as a reliable classification society.

He said the ferry began taking on water and sank within a very short period, adding that the recovery of its black box would be essential to establishing why it went down.

Capsizing and rescue operation

The catamaran Express, owned by Filo Denizcilik (Filo Jet), capsized on Sunday afternoon while carrying 267 people: 259 passengers and eight crew members.

The vessel left port about an hour late after harbour authorities initially withheld clearance because of adverse weather conditions. Shortly after departure, it encountered heavy seas and began taking on water from the bow. Preliminary reports indicated that its ageing fibreglass structure sustained severe damage and broke apart.

A total of 237 people have been rescued. Military units, coast guard vessels, private boats and helicopters are involved in the emergency response, while ambulances have been stationed at Kyrenia Port to take survivors to hospitals.

Assistance offer

The Republic of Cyprus offered immediate assistance through the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, confirming its readiness to deploy aeronautical assets or assume operational control of the search to protect human life.

President Nikos Christodoulides instructed the Greek Cypriot negotiator to convey the offer to the Turkish Cypriot leader through UNFICYP. Government sources said all available resources should be mobilised when lives are at risk.