Ferry capsizes off Northern Cyprus, killing 7 with 23 missing

A passenger ferry carrying around 267 people capsized and sank off the coast of Northern Cyprus on Sunday, killing at least seven and leaving 23 unaccounted for as rescue teams scrambled to locate survivors in the Mediterranean.

The catamaran-style vessel, identified as the FILOJET, departed the port of Kyrenia at 12:30 p.m. local time bound for the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin province and began taking on water shortly after, capsizing roughly four nautical miles offshore. Northern Cyprus leader Tufan Erhurman confirmed that 237 people had been rescued alive, while seven had died and 23 remained missing.reuters+3

Rescue Operation

A large-scale search-and-rescue effort was launched involving four Turkish Cypriot coast guard vessels, five Turkish coastguard vessels, two helicopters, and multiple civilian boats. Six Turkish navy ships were also dispatched, Turkey's interior ministry said. Video broadcast by Turkish television showed people in red life vests clinging to the overturned orange hull of the ferry in choppy seas as rescue craft approached.aljazeera+2

Northern Cyprus Transport Minister Erhan Arikli later told Turkish broadcaster TRT that the ferry had "completely sunk to a depth of 514 metres," complicating efforts to reach anyone who may have been trapped inside. Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Unal Ustel said at a press briefing: "Our sole priority right now is human life. All institutions of our state, our security forces, our health teams and our search and rescue elements are on the ground in full coordination".news.yahoo+1

Cause Under Investigation

The cause of the capsizing has not been established. One rescued passenger, a man in his 50s who was not named, told local television that "the front part exploded, they tried to turn around. And the side windows blew out. The boat started taking on water". He said he spent an hour and a half in the sea before being rescued and that many passengers had been inside the ferry when it began sinking. He also alleged the captain was among the first to abandon ship "without organising anything".news.yahoo

Erhurman noted that Cyprus had been battered by fierce storms on Saturday, with one person dying after a sailboat crashed onto rocks in the island's southeast, but said the weather on Sunday was considered suitable for travel. Arikli said the cause would be investigated.devdiscourse+1

Regional Response

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is scheduled to visit Northern Cyprus on Monday, said during a public ceremony that "efforts to find the missing are continuing tirelessly". The internationally recognized government of Cyprus also offered to assist, with spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis posting on X that the government had "expressed its readiness to assist in search and rescue efforts with all available means".newscord+1