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Ustel said the ferry faced adverse weather conditions and began
taking on water just 15 minutes after departure. A call for help
was issued shortly after, he said. Police detained eight people
— including the ferry captain — as part of an investigation into
the sinking, according to Ustel.
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said weather conditions
“were not bad” and urged against speculating about the cause of
the accident. He said the vessel went down in waters 500 meters
(1,640 feet) deep, encumbering search efforts.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his condolences
and said his government was coordinating with Northern Cyprus in
the search and rescue effort.
“We hope we’ll be receiving positive news,” Erdogan said on
Sunday in Ankara while speaking at the graduation ceremony of
the Turkish Military Academy.
The catamaran-style ferry was traveling from the port of Kyrenia,
also known as Girne, to the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin
province.
Kyrenia Mayor Murat Senkul said the ship belonged to the Filo
Denizcilik ferry company and sank off the coast of Diana beach
on Cyprus’ northern coast.
The ferry started taking in water about 7.5 kilometers (4
nautical miles) off the coast, TRT reported.
Video footage from the scene shows people with life-vests
floating in the waters around the capsized vessel.
Cyprus was split along ethnic lines in 1974 when Turkish invaded
a few days after an Athens junta-backed coup by supporters of
union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared independence in
1983, but only Turkey recognizes the north where it maintains
more than 35,000 troops.
Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but only the Greek
Cypriot south — where the internationally recognized government
is seated — enjoys full benefits.
Cyprus government Constantinos Letymbiotis said in a post on X
Sunday that the government had expressed its readiness to assist
in search and rescue efforts with all available means.
“In these trying times, our thoughts are with those who lost
their lives, those who were injured and all those who are living
this tragedy,” Letymbiotis said.
“At such times, the protection of human life is paramount.”
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