Funerals held for four victims of ferry sinking off Kyrenia

Mersin, Turkey. Funerals were held on Tuesday for four people who died after a passenger ferry sank off the coast of Kyrenia on Sunday. Eight people are known to have died, while 20 others remain officially missing.

Nisa Torer buried in Mersin

Fourteen-year-old Nisa Torer was buried in her native Mersin. She had travelled to Cyprus for a holiday with her father, 43-year-old Ferdi Torer, and her younger brothers, Yusuf and Yunus.

Yusuf and Yunus reached the shore alive, while Ferdi Torer remained unaccounted for three days after the sinking. The children’s mother, Gunes Torer, died of cancer in 2022.

Other funerals

Huseyin Ozdemir was buried in Silifke, in Mersin province. He had travelled to Cyprus to attend a wedding with his wife, Serif, daughters Sengul and Kamuran, and son-in-law Hakki. Serif is among those still missing.

Nihat Balyemez was buried in Gaziantep. His friend, Mehmet Tuga, who survived the sinking, said Balyemez had hit his head while trying to leave the ferry as it began to sink and probably died there.

Reyhan Verim was also buried in Silifke. Her funeral was attended by Mersin province governor Atilla Toros, MP Gulcan Kis and Turkish Cypriot diplomatic representative in Mersin Uruk Alemdar, among other dignitaries.