The captain and seven crew members of the ferry that capsized off Kyrenia, also known as Girne, in the Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, leaving eight people dead and seventeen passengers missing, have been arrested, the Turkish Cypriot leader Ünal Üstel announced.
Üstel said authorities had launched a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the incident and promised that any negligence or failure to fulfill responsibilities would be met with strict accountability. He added that search and rescue operations would continue uninterrupted until all missing people were found.
According to Philenews, Erhan Arıklı, the “minister of public works and transport” in the north, told BRT that search and rescue operations were continuing intensively. He revealed that the sunken vessel had settled on the seabed at a depth of 514 meters (1,686 ft). Fully equipped vessels and specialized divers were expected to arrive from Turkey within hours to conduct deep-sea search operations.
Addressing speculation about the cause of the disaster, Arıklı urged the public to disregard disinformation circulating on social media. He noted that the ship had undergone an inspection just two months earlier at the “Akdeniz” shipyard by “Türk Loydu,” which he described as a reliable classification agency.
Arıklı also revealed the ferry began taking on water and sank within a very short period, emphasizing that recovering the vessel’s black box would be crucial to understanding the causes of the sinking.
Adverse weather conditions said to have led to sinking of ferry off Cyprus
The catamaran Express, owned by Filo Denizcilik (Filo Jet), capsized Sunday afternoon while carrying 267 people—259 passengers and eight crew members. The vessel departed one hour behind schedule after harbor authorities initially withheld clearance due to adverse weather conditions. Shortly after departure, the ferry encountered heavy seas and began taking on water from the bow, with preliminary reports indicating that its aging fiberglass structure suffered severe damage and broke apart.
So far, 237 people have been rescued. Emergency efforts at the scene involve military units, coast guard vessels, private boats, and helicopters, with ambulances stationed at Kyrenia Port to transport survivors to hospitals.
Following news of the ferry disaster, the Republic of Cyprus immediately offered assistance through the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC), confirming its readiness to deploy aeronautical resources or assume operational control of the search to protect human life. President Nikos Christodoulides instructed the Greek Cypriot negotiator to communicate the offer to the Turkish Cypriot leader through UNFICYP, with government sources stressing that all available resources must be mobilized when lives are at risk.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
