Ferry Carrying 267 People Capsizes Near Cyprus; Several Killed
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
NICOSIA (Worthy News) – At least eight people were killed and 18 remained missing Sunday after a passenger ferry carrying 267 people capsized off the northern coast of Cyprus, triggering a massive search-and-rescue operation.
Authorities said 241 people had been rescued from the privately operated FILOJET, with dramatic footage showing survivors wearing life jackets clinging to or standing on its overturned hull before it sank.
The disaster added to a series of deadly maritime tragedies in and around Europe, where thousands of people have died at sea in recent years, many of them migrants attempting dangerous Mediterranean crossings.
The ferry had departed the northern Cypriot port of Kyrenia, known as Girne in Turkish, for Taşucu in southern Turkey with 259 passengers and eight crew members when it began taking on water shortly after departure.
Survivors described the catamaran moving violently and repeatedly slamming onto the water before a hard impact broke open part of its bow, allowing water to pour inside.
MASSIVE RESCUE OPERATION
Turkish and northern Cypriot coast guard vessels, helicopters and private boats rushed to the scene as authorities searched for those still unaccounted for.
By late afternoon, the ferry had sunk to the seabed at a depth of about 514 meters (1,686 feet), officials said. Divers from Turkey were expected to assist in efforts to determine whether anyone remained trapped inside.
Cyprus had been battered by severe storms Saturday, but Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman said weather conditions Sunday had been considered suitable for travel.
The captain and seven crew members were detained for questioning as authorities investigated the cause of the disaster.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said efforts to find the missing would continue “uninterrupted.”
CYPRUS OFFERS ASSISTANCE
The internationally recognized government of Cyprus also offered assistance, saying the protection of human life was paramount.
No information was immediately available about the nationalities of those aboard. The FILOJET was one of several ferry services linking northern Cyprus with mainland Turkey.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish forces invaded the north following a Greek-backed coup amid tensions between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
Turkish Cypriots declared independence in 1983, but the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognized as a separate state only by Turkey.
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