A deep-sea search-and-rescue vessel deployed by Türkiye on Sept. 1 joined efforts to recover the 20 people still missing after a passenger ferry capsized off Turkish Cyprus’ Kyrenia.
The TCG Işın began the extensive operation to locate the missing persons after the high-speed ferry sank on Aug. 30, 4 nautical miles off the port town of Kyrenia.
Authorities confirmed late on Aug. 31 that the disaster killed eight people, bringing the number of people still unaccounted for from 18 to 20.
A total of 241 of the 267 people aboard the Filo Jet, which was bound for Taşucu on the Turkish southern province of Mersin when it began taking on water, were rescued, authorities said. Almost all of those on board were Turkish or Turkish Cypriot nationals.
As the wreck lies at a depth of 514 meters, efforts by conventional divers and other vessels had been unable to reach it.
The operation therefore turned to a remotely operated mini-submarine capable of descending to depths of up to 3,000 meters, along with divers equipped with specialized pressure-resistant suits, to access the wreckage.
The immediate priority is to recover the bodies of those who may have become trapped inside the vessel after it sank.
Investigators will then focus on locating the ferry’s black box, which is expected to provide crucial information for determining the cause of the accident.
The remotely operated systems will also capture detailed images of the wreck, potentially providing investigators with important evidence about the circumstances surrounding the disaster.
Police detained the captain and 15 others following the accident.
Nine of them appeared in court in Kyrenia on charges of negligent homicide.
Addressing the court, the captain and crew members said the front section of the vessel had been torn open by the force of the waves, according to Türkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency.
The captain was remanded in custody.
Some survivors said there had not been enough safety equipment for all passengers.
“Some people had to jump without lifebuoys or life jackets,” a young survivor, Efe Mültici, told CNN Türk. “It was literally a fight for survival.”
One of the victims was a police officer who had returned to the catamaran in an attempt to find life jackets for his wife and child, both of whom survived.
Turkish Cypriot officials said that it was likely “all those responsible” would be charged with gross negligence as the seaworthiness of the 26-year-old ferry was also questioned.
The owners and shareholders of the privately owned company operating the passenger vessel have also been ordered to appear in court.
The vessel was built in the 2000s by Iris Catamarans, a subsidiary of now-defunct French group Fountaine Pajot, company founder Jean-Francois Fountaine told AFP, saying he did not have any information on the accident.
The Turkish Coast Guard and military were assisting rescue teams from Turkish Cyprus, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said, describing the incident as the worst maritime disaster in the island’s history.
