At least eight people died after a ferry carrying nearly 270 passengers and crew capsized off the northern coast of Cyprus on Sunday.
The catamaran-style vessel sank about 7.5 kilometers off the coast in waters approximately 500 meters deep, complicating search and rescue operations. Turkish media reported that the ferry was en route from Kyrenia, also known as Girne, to the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin province when it began taking on water.
Unal Ustel, the Turkish Cypriot prime minister of the north, told Turkish state broadcaster TRT that 237 people have been rescued so far. A search is ongoing for approximately 22 people still unaccounted for, officials said.
Ustel said the ferry encountered adverse weather conditions and started taking on water just 15 minutes after departure. A distress call was issued shortly afterward, he added.
Police have detained eight people, including the ferry captain, as part of an investigation into the sinking, according to Ustel. The ship belonged to the Filo Denizcilik ferry company, Kyrenia Mayor Murat Senkul said.
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman offered a different assessment of the conditions, stating that weather “were not bad” and cautioning against speculation about the cause of the accident. He noted that the depth of the water where the vessel went down — 500 meters, or roughly 1,640 feet — has encumbered search efforts.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed condolences and confirmed his government was coordinating with Northern Cyprus on rescue operations.
“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.
Video footage from the scene shows people wearing life-vests floating in the waters around the overturned vessel. The ferry sank off the coast of Diana beach on Cyprus’ northern coast, Senkul said.
Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974, when Turkey invaded following an Athens junta-backed coup by supporters of union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared independence in 1983, though only Turkey recognizes the self-declared north, where it maintains more than 35,000 troops. The Republic of Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but only the Greek Cypriot south — seat of the internationally recognized government — enjoys full membership benefits.
Constantinos Letymbiotis, a spokesperson for the Cyprus government, posted on X on Sunday that the government had offered 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 wrote.
“At such times, the protection of human life is paramount.”
The rescue operation continues as authorities work to locate the remaining missing passengers in the deep waters off the divided island’s northern coast.