At least eight people are dead and roughly 20 remain missing after a passenger ferry carrying 267 people capsized off the northern coast of Cyprus, near the port city of Kyrenia, over the weekend. Search-and-rescue crews were still working the site Monday.
The vessel had departed Kyrenia in northern Cyprus bound for the Turkish port of Tasucu when it began taking on water shortly after leaving port Sunday, according to Reuters. Nearby ships and coast guard units pulled survivors from the water and from the overturned hull.
Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Unal Ustel said the ferry hit adverse weather and started taking on water about 15 minutes into the voyage, the Associated Press reported. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman offered a different account, saying weather conditions “were not bad” and urging against speculating on a cause before investigators finish their work.
Officials raised the number of missing from 18 to 20 on Monday after cross-checking passenger manifests against the list of confirmed survivors, Reuters reported.
Among those unaccounted for are siblings Miray Bicer, 12, and Mehmet Asaf Bicer, 6, who had been visiting Cyprus with their family before boarding the ferry in Kyrenia. Their mother, Ayten Bicer, described trying to hold on to her daughter as the ferry went over.
“She was saying, ‘Don’t let go,'” Bicer told Reuters. “And I didn’t let go of my daughter. I swear, I didn’t let her go.”
Bicer said a suitcase struck her during the chaos, breaking her grip on the girl. She said she then caught her daughter’s foot, but oil from the ferry had made the surface slick, and the child slipped away.
Deep water complicates search
The wreck lies in water more than 1,600 feet deep, a depth that has slowed efforts to search the vessel and determine whether anyone remains trapped inside. Authorities said they had not yet established that. Erhurman said a ship from Turkey equipped for seabed operations was expected to arrive Tuesday.
The internationally recognized government of Cyprus has also offered help with the search-and-rescue effort, the Associated Press reported.
Investigation opened
Authorities have opened an inquiry into what caused the ferry to take on water and capsize. Nine people connected to the vessel’s operations have been detained as part of that investigation, according to Reuters. Officials said the ferry held a valid seaworthiness certificate at the time of the sinking.
As of Monday, crews and nearby vessels continued combing the waters off Kyrenia for the roughly 20 people still missing, while investigators continue reviewing records and preparing further seabed operations.
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