At least eight die, 18 missing after ferry capsizes off North Cyprus

Ferry Disaster Off Kyrenia Leaves at Least Eight Dead and 18 Missing

Indiadailyupdate.com – A privately operated passenger ferry broke apart and capsized in the eastern Mediterranean on Sunday, killing at least eight people and leaving 18 unaccounted for after departing the North Cypriot port of Kyrenia. The vessel, named FILOJET, was en route to the Turkish port of Tasucu when it began taking on water almost immediately after leaving port at 12:30 p.m. local time. Of the 267 souls aboard — 259 passengers and eight crew members — 241 were pulled to safety, many of them clinging to the inverted hull while rescue crews raced to reach them.

What Survivors Described

Those who escaped the sinking recounted a terrifying sequence of events in which the two-hulled craft began behaving erratically in the sea. The vessel reportedly lifted out of the water repeatedly before slamming back down with increasing violence. Within three or four minutes of the initial instability, the ferry reportedly leapt high into the air and crashed back down, rupturing the front-left section of the hull and flooding the interior almost instantly.

“The vessel had been moving very badly. It was constantly lifting out of the water and slamming back down. It was shaking violently,” survivor Efe Multici told CNN Turk.

“Three or four minutes later, the ferry leapt high into the air, then came crashing down. The front left side burst open and water started pouring in.”

Video captured in the immediate aftermath showed passengers in red life jackets perched atop the overturned structure while coastguard units and private boats converged on the scene. Four Turkish Cypriot coastguard vessels, a civilian passenger boat, five Turkish coastguard craft, and two helicopters were dispatched to the waterside, according to a statement from the Turkish Cypriot Interior Ministry.

Search, Rescue, and Detentions

By late Sunday afternoon the wreck had slipped beneath the surface, coming to rest on the seabed at a depth of 514 metres. Turkish divers were mobilised to assist in locating the missing. Turkish Cypriot authorities confirmed that the ship’s captain and seven members of the crew had been taken into custody for questioning.

Tufan Erhurman, the leader of the Turkish Cypriot administration, addressed journalists following a crisis-management meeting and pledged that the operation would not end until every person aboard had been accounted for.

“Search and rescue efforts will continue until the very end, until all people are reached,” Erhurman said.

Hours after the capsizing, families gathered outside a Kyrenia hospital and at the port gates, waiting for word of relatives still unaccounted for. The scene underscored how quickly a routine commute across a stretch of sea can become a catastrophe.

Weather and the Question of Cause

Cyprus had been battered by fierce storms on Saturday, during which one person died after his sailboat was driven onto rocks in rough seas along the island’s south-eastern coast. Asked whether the prior storm played a role in Sunday’s disaster, Erhurman acknowledged the Saturday weather but noted that conditions on the day of the accident were judged suitable for sailing. The precise mechanical cause of the capsizing remained under investigation as of the latest updates.

“There is a great sense of shock here. This is not something we have experienced before,” Erhurman told reporters.

A Lifeline Between Two Shores

The FILOJET was one of several daily shuttle ferries that connect North Cyprus with the Turkish mainland. For residents of the breakaway territory — a self-governing entity recognised internationally only by Ankara — these crossings are not mere tourism options but essential arteries of commerce, family contact, and supply. Kyrenia itself is a well-known holiday destination drawing both local visitors and international tourists, which meant the passenger manifest included a mix of residents, workers, and holidaymakers.

North Cyprus has existed as a de facto separate polity since 1974, when Turkey intervened militarily following a brief Greek-inspired coup on the island. The division between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities has persisted ever since, with Turkey providing economic and military support to the northern administration. The internationally recognised government of the Republic of Cyprus, based in the south, extended condolences and offers of assistance following the disaster.

Reaction in Ankara and Beyond

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a statement expressing sympathy to the families of the dead and missing, and pledged continued effort to locate those still unaccounted for.

“Efforts to reach those who are still missing continue uninterrupted,” Erdogan said. “God willing, we hope to receive positive news from these efforts.”

The scale of the loss — at least eight confirmed fatalities with 18 still missing from a vessel that had been in the water for barely minutes — has sent shockwaves through the Turkish Cypriot community and raised fresh questions about the safety oversight of privately operated maritime services that carry hundreds of passengers across open water on a daily basis. As divers work the 514-metre-deep wreck and authorities continue their interrogations, the full circumstances of why the ferry began taking on water within moments of departure remain the central unanswered question of a tragedy that has upended dozens of families in a single afternoon.