First funeral held after Filo Jet catamaran disaster off Kyrenia

Famagusta, Cyprus. The first funeral for a victim of Sunday’s Filo Jet catamaran disaster off Kyrenia was held on Monday afternoon. Nuray Zeytun Ozbiler, 59, died when the vessel capsized at sea.

Funeral and victims

Ozbiler, the mother of four children, was buried in occupied Famagusta. “Prime minister” Unal Ustel, Republican Turkish Party leader Sila Usar Incirli, several “ministers” and “MPs”, and relatives attended the ceremony.

Several victims’ bodies have been transferred to Turkey for funerals in the cities where they lived. The bodies of Huseyin Ozdemir and Reyhan Verim were transferred to Mersin, while Nihat Bayemez’s body was moved to Gaziantep, where his funeral took place on Monday.

Among the victims was Fahri Ates, described by Turkish Cypriot media as a “special gendarmerie sergeant”. He was travelling with his wife and four-year-old child, whom he managed to save before drowning.

His wife and child are being treated in hospital in the occupied north. The rest of his family lives in occupied Tremetousia.

Turkey deputy minister visits injured

Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Haci Ali Ozel, who was in the north for a second day, visited the crisis management office in Kyrenia on Sunday. He was briefed by “prime minister” Ustel, “health minister” Hakan Dincyurek and others.

Ozel also visited Turkish citizens receiving treatment in hospitals across the north and spoke with their relatives. He said efforts were continuing to meet the needs of victims and other affected Turkish citizens, arrange their return to Turkey, and provide further support if required.

Search and transport operations

Search operations continued for a second consecutive night into Monday, involving eight ships, nine boats, one aircraft, seven helicopters and five drones.

A specialised search vessel capable of operating at depths of up to 1,000 metres was due to arrive from Turkey on Monday, according to an announcement made by Ustel on Sunday.

Sea crossings between the north and Turkey resumed on Monday through Akguler after Filo Jet halted its services following the disaster. Pegasus added four extra daily flights at subsidised ticket prices to meet travel demand between Turkey and the north.

Investigation continues

The search for the Filo Jet’s “black box” is continuing as authorities seek to establish the exact cause of the disaster.

The vessel sank at a depth of about 514 metres, complicating recovery efforts. Authorities are examining data concerning the ship’s condition, weather conditions at the time and decisions taken before it departed.