At least eight people have died and 18 remain missing after a passenger ferry carrying 267 people capsized and sank shortly after leaving Girne in one of the worst maritime disasters in Cyprus in decades.
A massive search-and-rescue operation involving Turkish Cypriot and Turkish ships, aircraft, helicopters and drones continued into Monday, 31 August, as distraught relatives gathered in Girne awaiting news of loved ones.
The Filo Jet, a high-speed catamaran operated by Filo Denizcilik, had departed Girne for Taşucu, on Türkiye’s southern Mediterranean coast, at around 12.30pm on Sunday.
It ran into serious trouble shortly afterwards, taking on water before capsizing around four nautical miles — approximately 7 kilometres — off Girne.
Images from the scene showed dozens of passengers in orange life jackets clinging to the upturned hull as private boats and emergency vessels raced to their aid. The ferry subsequently disappeared beneath the water and is now lying on the seabed at a depth of around 514 metres.
The latest official figures state that there were 259 passengers and eight crew members aboard, giving a total of 267 people. Of these, 241 have been rescued alive, eight have died and 18 remain unaccounted for. Earlier figures published during the fast-moving rescue operation varied as authorities reconciled the passenger manifest and survivor records.
The Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC) has declared three days of national mourning, from Monday, 31 August until sunset on Wednesday, 2 September.
Desperate search for 18 missing
The scale of the response reflects continuing hopes of finding those still missing.
According to the TRNC authorities, Türkiye deployed three aircraft, four drones, six helicopters, four Coast Guard vessels, a fast attack craft, a frigate and a patrol vessel, while North Cyprus deployed Coast Guard vessels, helicopters, naval assets, Civil Defence and police teams. Searches continued throughout the night using vessels and helicopters equipped for night operations.
It remains unclear whether any of those missing could have been trapped inside the vessel when it finally sank.
Recovering evidence from the wreck will be particularly challenging because of the depth at which it is lying.
TRNC Public Works and Transport Minister Erhan Arıklı said investigators were seeking to recover the vessel’s voyage-data recorder, referred to as its “black box”, in an effort to establish exactly what happened.
Arıklı also announced that Filo Jet services have been suspended, adding that, as of Monday morning, departures from Girne had also been halted.
Survivors describe terrifying scenes
Accounts from passengers point to an extraordinarily rapid deterioration aboard the ferry.
Several survivors told local and international media that they heard loud noises or what they believed to be an explosion before the vessel began listing and taking on water. Others alleged that passengers had raised concerns about water entering the ferry before the situation became critical.
Survivor Serkan Kunduracı told Turkish news agency DHA that passengers initially received assurances from crew members that there was no major problem. When an evacuation was eventually attempted, panic had already taken hold.
Other survivors have alleged difficulties finding life jackets and getting through exits as the vessel tilted. These accounts form part of the investigation and have not yet established the cause of the disaster.
Reuters reported harrowing scenes among relatives waiting at Girne Port on Monday. Among those still missing are two children from the Biçer family. Their parents and another child survived the disaster, while the search for their two siblings continues.
One of the eight people confirmed to have died has been named locally as Nuray Zeytun, the mother of Doğan Türk Birliği women’s football team captain Müzeyyen Dilek Özbiler.
The Girne football club announced her death in a message of condolence to Özbiler and her family. Identification of the remaining victims has been continuing.
A number of survivors were admitted to hospitals following their ordeal. TRNC Health Minister Dr Hakan Dinçyürek said on Monday morning that patients were gradually being discharged and that the number requiring inpatient treatment had fallen significantly. Crucially, he said none of those still receiving treatment was considered to be in a life-threatening condition.
Nine appear in court as investigation widens
Questions are now intensifying over how the Filo Jet was able to sink so rapidly.
Nine people connected with the vessel appeared before Girne District Court on Monday, including a company director, the captain and second captain, the chief and second engineers and four other crew members.
They face allegations of causing death through negligence and carelessness as police conduct a wide-ranging investigation into the disaster.
In evidence to the court, Police Deputy Inspector Mehmet Mannaş said preliminary information indicated that the forward section of the vessel’s left hull had broken, after which the ferry took on water and capsized. However, officials stressed that the precise cause remains under investigation and experts being sent from Türkiye will conduct technical examinations.
The court was also told that the Filo Jet had the relevant sailing permits and had been approved by Türk Loydu, an international classification and certification organisation. Meteorological information obtained before departure had indicated that weather conditions were suitable for the journey.
Transport Minister Arıklı separately said the captain had around 25 years' experience and the required licence, while the vessel had undergone a Türk Loydu inspection approximately two-and-a-half months before the tragedy and received the necessary certification and classification documents.
The Filo Jet itself was built in France in 2000. Maritime records list the approximately 43-metre catamaran, formerly known as Iris Jet, as having capacity for around 320 passengers.
Those facts are likely to place the vessel’s condition, inspection history, maintenance, crew actions and evacuation procedures at the centre of investigators' work.
Prime Minister Ünal Üstel has promised that every aspect of the catastrophe will be investigated, saying that even the smallest instance of negligence would be uncovered and those responsible held accountable. He has described the sinking as the gravest maritime disaster experienced in Cyprus.
TRNC President Tufan Erhürman has urged people not to speculate about the cause before the investigation is completed.
Türkiye has mobilised resources to support the rescue operation, while the Greek Cypriot-administered Republic of Cyprus authorities in the south of the island have also offered assistance, saying the protection of human life should take precedence.
For now, however, attention remains firmly focused on the waters off Girne and the 18 people who have yet to be found, as families endure an agonising wait for news.
