At least six dead after ferry capsizes off the coast of Kyrenia

At least six people have died this Sunday after the shipwreck of a ship carrying up to 270 people including passengers and crew off the coast of northern Cyprus. After what happened, the Turkish Cypriot coast guard has deployed an urgent rescue operation, as reported by local authorities, who describe the situation as "serious."

The events occurred specifically near the town of Kirenia, in the part of the island controlled by the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. According to Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Unal Ustel, more than 172 people have had to be rescued. Previously, the Turkish ambassador in Nicosia, Ali Murat Basceri, had advanced that, although "a large number of people" have been rescued by the Turkish Cypriot coast guard, "there has been a loss of human life."

While some media claim that the ship has capsized, the Minister of Transport of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Erhan Arikli, has told the press that the ship was about to sink off the coast of the New Port of Girne (Kirina in Greek).

For his part, the mayor of the city of Girne, Murat Senkul, described the situation as "serious" and stated that the ship had capsized. "The passenger and cargo ship Diana, belonging to Filo Maritime, sank off Diana beach. There are a total of 270 people on board, including passengers and crew," the mayor said on his social networks.

"The situation is extremely serious. The Coast Guard, the Akgünler company's Express ship and numerous small boats are participating in the rescue efforts," he added.

According to the CyprusMail newspaper, the boat was a ferry that left Girne bound for the Turkish port of Tasucu and sank early this Sunday afternoon about four miles north of the Cypriot coast. For now, the causes of the accident are unknown.