At least seven dead after ferry capsizes off North Cyprus

At least seven people have died after a boat with more than 260 people on board capsized off North Cyprus on Sunday, Turkish media reported.

Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Unal Ustel said that at least seven people died after the ferry capsized, CNN Turk reported on Sunday, adding that 237 others had been rescued and 23 people remained missing.

“There has been a huge deployment to the area for as a part of the search and rescue effort affiliated with the Northern Cyprus Coast Guard Command,” Al Jazeera correspondent Resul Serdar said.

The Coast Guard Command deployed passenger ships, five pilotage units, and two coast guard helicopters. The Turkish Naval Forces assigned another six naval units.

The catamaran-style vessel had left the port of Kyrenia, also known as Girne, and started sinking a few kilometres off the coast.

Ustel said that a total of 267 people, including the crew, had been on board the vessel when it capsized.

Turkish Cypriot Transport Minister Erhan Arikli told Turkish news agency Anadolu that a rescue operation was under way to bring any injured people to Girne Port and then transfer them to local hospitals.

Arikli added that the cause of the incident would be investigated. “What we know is that a a privately operated passenger ferry, a catamaran, departed the port of Girne at around 12:30 p.m. local time for Taşucu Port in Turkiye’s southern city of Mersin, began taking on water for an as-yet-unknown reason shortly after leaving the port,” Serdar reports.

The captain issued a distress call as the ferry began taking water, prompting the Coast Guard and port authorities to dispatch rescue teams to the area.

Images broadcast by Turkish television showed the upside-down ferry in the water, with people wearing life vests atop its orange hull. The weather was sunny and several boats were seen in the area to lend assistance.

“All necessary preparations are being made for a swift response from rescue and health services,” the Turkish Cypriot health ministry said in a statement.

It added that hospitals in the territory had been alerted, so they could provide any medical attention that might be needed.