Disaster off Cyprus: Captain and crew members of the sunken ferry arrested

After the ferry accident with several deaths off the island of Cyprus, the captain and seven crew members were arrested. This was stated by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognized by Türkiye, Ünal Üsal, according to the Northern Cypriot state broadcaster BRT. He promised that those responsible would be held accountable: “I’m saying this very clearly. Every aspect of this incident is being investigated. Even the slightest negligence will come to light,” said Üsal. The rescue work continued.

Meanwhile, the death toll rose to eight, Turkish Cypriot Transport Minister Erhan Arikli said, according to broadcaster BRT. Many people are still being sought. According to official Northern Cypriot information, a total of 267 people were on the ferry, including 259 passengers and eight crew members. Most were saved.

According to authorities, the ferry - apparently a catamaran - capsized at midday shortly after leaving the port city of Kyrenia (Turkish: Girne). Accordingly, water entered the ferry, the cause of which is still unclear. The ferry was on its way to the eastern Mediterranean.

According to reports from Cypriot media, large amounts of water entered the ship through the stern. The captain therefore initiated an emergency maneuver to turn the ship around. However, the crew was unable to stop the water from entering, causing the ship to lose stability.

According to Turkish authorities, the distress call was made four nautical miles off the coast. Images from CNN Türk showed people in life jackets clinging to the shipwreck and waiting to be brought to safety. A helicopter circled overhead.

Eyewitness Efe Multici told CNN Türk that he was on the lower deck of the ship and reported chaotic scenes: The passengers had informed the crew that water was coming in and asked them to turn around. The waves were also very strong. Suddenly the ship tilted to the side and people jumped up in panic and looked for life jackets. Some tried to break windows to get out. A man told the Cypriot daily newspaper “Zyprunpost” that there was chaos.

Cyprus has been de facto divided since 1974 following a Greek coup and Turkish military intervention. In 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) was proclaimed, recognized only by Turkey in the world. In 2004, the EU accepted the island of Cyprus as a whole into the EU. However, due to the de facto division of the island, EU law only applies in the south. UN peacekeepers monitor the approximately 180 kilometer long buffer zone between the two sides.