Eight people died and 18 remained missing after a passenger ferry carrying 267 people capsized and sank off Turkish Cyprus, as search and rescue operations continued on Aug. 31.
The Filo Jet, operated by Filo Denizcilik, was travelling from Kyrenia to Taşucu in southern Türkiye when it began taking on water about 7.5 kilometers offshore on Aug. 30 and capsized shortly afterward.
Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhürman said 241 people had been rescued. The vessel came to rest at a depth of 514 meters, complicating efforts to reach anyone who might remain inside, he said.
Türkiye deployed aircraft, drones, helicopters and naval and coast guard vessels to support Turkish Cypriot teams in the search.
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said the captain and seven crew members had been detained as part of the investigation.
“Every aspect of this incident will be investigated,” Üstel said. “If there is even the slightest negligence, it will be uncovered.”
Public Works and Transport Minister Erhan Arıklı said the ferry had been inspected by Türk Loydu at Akdeniz Shipyard two months before the accident. Investigators would need to recover its voyage data recorder to determine why it sank, he added.
Survivors said they had alerted crew members after noticing water entering the vessel but alleged that their concerns were initially dismissed. Some also said life jackets were not distributed and evacuation instructions were unclear. The accounts could not be independently verified.
The precise cause of the sinking has not been established. Turkish Cypriot authorities declared three days of national mourning.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke by phone with Erhürman and Üstel, offered his condolences and said Türkiye was providing full support for the search operation.
