Ferry capsizes off northern Cyprus leaving eighteen missing as crew detained
A ferry carrying 267 people capsized off northern Cyprus, leaving at least eight dead and eighteen missing, raising urgent questions about maritime safety oversight after authorities revealed the vessel held a valid seaworthiness certificate.
A double-hulled ferry carrying 267 people capsized off the port city of Kyrenia in northern Cyprus on Sunday, leaving at least eight people dead and eighteen missing. The vessel flipped shortly after departing for the Turkish port of Tasucu, prompting a major search and rescue operation in waters exceeding 500 metres in depth.
Survivors reported that the wide-bodied vessel jolted violently before slamming onto the sea surface, causing part of its bow to burst open on impact. Severe storms had battered Cyprus on Saturday, leaving the seas unusually rough at the time of the disaster.
Among the missing are two young children, twelve-year-old Miray and six-year-old Mehmet Asaf. Their mother, Ayten Bicer, described a desperate struggle to hold onto them, stating that engine oil and diesel made surfaces dangerously slippery. "It was slipping like oil... She slipped out of my hand," she said.
Her husband, Hayri, confirmed the devastating loss. "We lost our children," he said, noting that they managed to save one son but lost two of their three children in the sudden catastrophe.
Families and onlookers gathered outside the Kyrenia port on Monday, waiting anxiously for updates. Debris, including a sheet of steel and luggage, remained scattered across the water near the sunken ferry.
Authorities have detained the ferry’s captain and crew, along with nine other individuals connected to the vessel's operations, for three days of police questioning. The detentions mark a swift regulatory response to a disaster that has shaken public confidence in regional maritime transport.
Crucially, officials confirmed that the ferry possessed a valid seaworthiness certificate prior to its departure. This detail is likely to intensify scrutiny over the enforcement of maritime safety standards and the adequacy of inspections for daily sea shuttle links between Cyprus and Turkey.
Divers from Turkey are currently assisting local coastguard authorities in the search for survivors or victims. It remains unclear whether individuals are still trapped inside the sunken vessel, though social media footage suggested people were confined in one compartment as the ship flipped.
