At least eight people have been killed and more than a dozen remain missing after a passenger ferry overturned off northern Cyprus, the head of the Turkish administration there has said.
The vessel was carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members when it ran into trouble after leaving Kyrenia, according to Ünal Üstel, prime minister of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Rescue teams from northern Cyprus and Turkey were deployed to search for those still unaccounted for. Helicopters and coastguard vessels joined the operation, with ambulances waiting along the shore to transport survivors for treatment.
The privately operated ferry departed the coastal resort at approximately 12:30pm local time, or 09:30 GMT. Its journey to Turkey had originally been scheduled for Saturday but was postponed because of bad weather, Üstel said.
Speaking to Turkish broadcaster TRT, he said two waves struck the vessel in succession. The captain was attempting to recover from the first when the second hit, causing the ferry to take on water and capsize.
Transport Minister Erhan Arikli told local media that 100 passengers had been brought ashore. By Sunday evening, he confirmed to TRT that the vessel had sunk completely.
Television footage showed the ferry floating upside down, with passengers wearing life jackets gathered on its exposed hull.
Among those who helped was boat owner Mustafa Koc, who rescued around 65 people. He said that the crew should have delayed departure until conditions improved.
“It wasn’t safe for them,” he said. “The sea was quite choppy.”
Koc added: “People died. It’s not right.”
He also said the ferry had arrived in Kyrenia on Saturday and “had some damage in the front”.
Authorities detained the captain and seven crew members as investigators began examining the circumstances of the disaster. Üstel said on social media that the inquiry would establish “how this tragedy occurred”.
He said the “priority right now is human life”, with security personnel, rescue workers and medical teams responding at the scene.
Promising a thorough investigation, Üstel said “even the slightest negligence will be uncovered”.
“No one will be spared, regardless of who they are, who is found to be at fault or responsible,” Üstel said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered condolences to Turkish Cypriots and said efforts to locate the missing “continue uninterrupted”.
“Immediately after the accident, we launched extensive search-and-rescue operations in co-operation with the authorities of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” he said at a military ceremony on Sunday.
Marine Traffic identifies the ferry as Filo Jet, a Turkish-flagged high-speed vessel measuring 40 metres long and 10 metres wide.
Its operator, Filo Denizcilik, said it was “deeply saddened by the tragic accident”.
A telephone hotline has been established for relatives seeking information about passengers. The nationalities of those on board and the condition of injured survivors remain unclear.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognised only by Turkey and administers the northern third of Cyprus. The island has been divided since 1974.
