Kyrenia ferry disaster death toll rises to eight, with 17 people still missing

Kyrenia, Cyprus. The captain and seven crew members of the Filo Jet passenger ferry have been arrested in an official investigation into Sunday afternoon’s deadly capsizing off Kyrenia. Eight people have died and 17 remain missing, Turkish Cypriot authorities said.

Turkish Cypriot prime minister Ünal Üstel said a comprehensive inquiry had been launched into the causes of the incident and that any negligence or failure of responsibility would face strict accountability. He said search and rescue operations would continue until all missing people were accounted for.

Search operations continue

Turkish Cypriot minister of public works and transport Erhan Arıklı told BRT that search and rescue operations were continuing intensively.

He 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 conduct deep-sea search operations.

Investigation into cause

Arıklı urged the public to disregard disinformation on social media regarding the cause of the disaster.

He said the ship had been inspected two months earlier at the Akdeniz shipyard by Türk Loydu, which he described as a reliable classification society. Arıklı said the ferry began taking on water and sank within a short period, adding that recovery of its black box would be essential to establish why it went down.

Capsizing and rescue response

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 departed 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 its 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 transfer survivors to hospitals.

Republic of Cyprus offers assistance

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

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