A passenger ferry carrying 267 people capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday afternoon, triggering a large-scale rescue operation involving coast guard boats, a helicopter, and additional vessels dispatched from the port of Kyrenia.
What Happened
The ferry, traveling from Kyrenia to the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin province, began taking on water a few kilometers off the northern Cyprus coast before capsizing. It was carrying 259 passengers and 8 crew members, according to authorities. The cause of the capsizing has not yet been determined.
The Rescue Effort
Turkish Cypriot coast guard vessels, a rescue helicopter, and boats launched from Kyrenia responded to the scene. By early afternoon, authorities had confirmed 159 people brought ashore safely, with rescue operations continuing for the remaining passengers and crew.
The Official Response
Northern Cyprus’s transport minister, Erhan Arikli, and Prime Minister Ünal Üstel both traveled to Kyrenia to oversee the recovery effort. The health ministry deployed ambulances to the port to ensure medical care would be available immediately for those brought ashore.
What’s Still Unknown
No deaths or injuries had been confirmed as of the latest reports, though rescue operations were still ongoing and authorities had not yet accounted for everyone who had been aboard. The ferry operator has not been publicly identified.
Related coverage: CBC News.
Update: Death Toll Rises to 12, Captain and Eight Others Detained
Five days after the Filo Jet capsized off Kyrenia while sailing to the Turkish port of Tasucu, the confirmed death toll has climbed to 12, with 16 people still missing, according to the latest figures reported Friday. The ferry was carrying 259 passengers and 8 crew members when it went down.
Authorities in northern Cyprus have arrested nine people in connection with the disaster, including the vessel’s 66-year-old captain, Mustafa Oz. The ferry’s second-in-command has told investigators the captain delayed turning the ship back after it began taking on water, and at least one survivor has separately described a 15-to-20-minute delay between the first signs of trouble and any attempt to return to port. Some witnesses have alleged the captain left the vessel after it capsized, though that claim has not been independently confirmed.
Investigators have so far been unable to recover the ferry’s voyage data recorder, the equivalent of a black box, which could clarify what caused the capsizing and whether the delayed response worsened the death toll. If the allegations against the captain hold up, this stops being a story about a ferry accident and becomes a story about a completely preventable one: a vessel that could reportedly have turned back with everyone still alive.
Sources: Turkish Minute · Ynetnews
Update: Death Toll Rises to 14, Search Continues at 554-Meter Depth
The confirmed death toll from the Filo Jet capsizing has risen to 14, with 14 people still missing, according to the latest figures. Of the 267 people who were aboard, 239 have now been rescued. The wreck itself has been located at a depth of 554 meters off Kyrenia, and Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense says it continues to search the area with seven ships and six aircraft.
Nine people have now been detained in total in connection with the disaster, including the vessel’s 66-year-old captain, Mustafa Oz. Witness allegations that the captain abandoned the vessel after it capsized continue to circulate, but those claims remain unconfirmed by officials and have not been independently verified.
Related from BeezLoop: Hundreds of Workers Feared Trapped in Nepal's Flooded Hydropower Tunnels, Ukraine Hit Moscow With Over 1,000 Drones and Trump Won't Say If US Struck Iranian Ship, Floats Keeping Iran's Oil Like Venezuela.
