At least eight people dead and 23 missing after ferry capsizes off northern Cyprus

by · TheJournal.ie

LAST UPDATE | 9 hrs ago

AT LEAST EIGHT people have died after a ferry capsized off Northern Cyprus today.

Unal Ustel, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), said the vessel was carrying a total of 267 people when it rolled over shortly after leaving port. 

He said some 237 people have been rescued.

“Our search and rescue operations to locate the 23 missing persons continue without interruption, with all our resources mobilized,” Ustel said. 

“All institutions of our state are on the ground. We are continuing the search and rescue efforts with the utmost care and closely following developments.”

Transport minister Erhan Arikli told Turkish television network TRT that the ferry has “completely sunk to a depth of 514 metres”.

He said that 161 people who were on board the boat have been hospialised while 76 “are back with their families”.

Survivors of the ferry which arrive at the port of Kyrenia in the Turkish occupied northern part of Cyprus. Alamy Stock PhotoAlamy Stock Photo

It is not yet known what caused the ferry to capsize.

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It occurred shortly after the ferry departed from the Northern Cyprus port of Kyrenia and headed for the Turkish port of Tasucu.

Images broadcast by Turkish television showed the upside-down ferry in the water, with people wearing life vests atop its orange hull. The weather was sunny and several boats were seen in the area to lend assistance.

The TRNC, which is recognised only by Turkey, controls the northern third of the island of Cyprus, which has been divided since 1974.

People gather outside the port of Kyrenia. Alamy Stock PhotoAlamy Stock Photo

Ankara occupied that part of the island that year in response to an Athens-engineered Greek Cypriot coup seeking union with Greece. The TRNC today is served with regular air and sea links to Turkey.

“All necessary preparations are being made for a swift response from rescue and health services,” the TRNC’s health ministry said in a statement.

It added that hospitals in the territory had been alerted, so they could provide any medical attention that might be needed.

The TRNC is dependent on Turkey, and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said on X that “we are providing all necessary assistance to the search and rescue operations”.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to visit the TRNC on Monday to see its president, Tufan Erhurmann, who was elected by the territory’s voters in October.

The visit would be Erdogan’s first since 2023.