Ferry capsize in northern Cyprus leaves at least eight dead and 17 missing

Search teams remain flying over the point where a high-speed ferry with 267 people on board capsized this Sunday in the waters of the Mediterranean, specifically north of Cyprus.

At the moment, more than 200 people could be rescued and 17 remain unaccounted for, while the death toll stands at at least eight victims. Turkish Cypriot authorities detained the captain and the other seven members of the ship's crew in an incident that was reportedly caused by a storm at sea.

“We are facing a tragic accident that will go down in history as the largest maritime disaster that Cyprus has ever suffered,” declared Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ünal Üstel. For its part, the investigation has been able to ensure that the boat, 40.5 meters long, belonging to the Turkish company Filo Denizcilik, had set sail from the port of Girne (Kirenia in Greek) heading to Turkey when it encountered inclement weather.

The crew issued a mayday call at 12:10 local time to report that the ship was taking on water about three miles off the northern Cypriot coast. Although rescue operations began immediately with the deployment of four Coast Guard boats, two helicopters, a patrol boat, an assault boat and diving teams from the Civil Defense and the Police, the boat ended up capsizing and submerging.

The shipping company has also established an internal crisis management team to mobilize all its resources, as reported in a statement. Two aircraft, four helicopters, four unmanned aerial vehicles and four Coast Guard vessels deployed by the Turkish Armed Forces have been added to these efforts in the last few hours, as detailed by the prime minister. Additionally, the arrival of a Turkish Naval Forces search and rescue vessel capable of searching at depths of up to 1,000 meters is expected.