At least eight people have died and more than a dozen remain missing after a passenger ferry capsized and sank off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday, according to local authorities. The vessel was carrying 267 people, although figures on the number of people still unaccounted for varied in initial reports.
The catamaran-style ferry was traveling from Kyrenia, also known as Girne, in northern Cyprus to the Turkish port of Taşucu in Mersin province. It began taking on water about 6.5 to 7.5 kilometers, or roughly four nautical miles, from the coast before overturning and eventually sinking completely.
Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said hundreds of people had been rescued, while Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman said search and rescue teams were continuing to look for those still missing. Officials said the vessel sank to a depth of 514 meters.
“Search and rescue teams are working very intensively to find them,” Erhürman said. “If there are people still inside the vessel, reaching them does not appear easy at the moment.”
The ferry was operated by Filo Denizcilik and was carrying passengers on one of the regular daily services between northern Cyprus and mainland Turkey. The route is widely used by Turkish citizens working in northern Cyprus and traveling to Turkey to visit relatives.
