Cyprus ferry capsize kills 8, nearly 20 missing
Photo: REUTERS
Turkish divers joined rescue teams on Monday to search deep waters for survivors after a double-hulled ferry capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus, leaving at least eight people dead and nearly 20 others missing.
The vessel, carrying 267 passengers and crew, took on water on Sunday and overturned near the port city of Kyrenia. Passing ships and coastguard authorities rescued several survivors as they clung desperately to the inverted hull.
Relatives gathered outside the port gates through the early hours of Monday morning to await updates. “We have been waiting since the morning, for 12 hours or maybe more,” said Naif Ezer, who desperately sought news of his loved ones.
He added that while rescue workers located one of his three friends traveling home to visit their families, the other two remained missing. Some relatives sat on the pavement weeping silently, while others continuously scrolled through their mobile phones, hoping for any positive update.
Rescuers do not yet know if the vessel, which now rests on the seabed at a depth exceeding 500 meters (1,640 feet), still traps any passengers inside.
Turkish divers are assisting local authorities with the search. Meanwhile, officials released conflicting estimates regarding the missing, with some reporting 19 missing individuals and others putting the number at 18.
The boat encountered severe trouble shortly after departing Kyrenia for the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin province, a route that serves as one of several daily maritime shuttle links connecting northern Cyprus to Turkey.
Multiple eyewitness accounts describe how the wide-bodied vessel shook violently before crashing heavily against the sea surface, an impact that burst open a section of its bow. Local police have detained both the captain and the vessel's crew for interrogation regarding the disaster.
Source: Reuters (adapted)
