Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
At least eight people have died after a ferry carrying nearly 270 passengers and crew capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday, according to Turkish media reports. Officials said 237 people had been rescued so far, while a search was under way for another 22.
Unal Ustel, the Turkish Cypriot prime minister, said the ferry encountered adverse weather and began taking on water about 15 minutes after it set off. He said a distress call was issued shortly after. Police have detained eight people, including the ferry captain, as part of an investigation into the sinking.
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The catamaran-style ferry was travelling from the port of Kyrenia, also known as Girne, to the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin province. Kyrenia Mayor Murat Senkul said the vessel belonged to the Filo Denizcilik ferry company and sank off the coast of Diana beach on Cyprus’ northern coast. TRT reported that the ferry started taking in water about 7.5 km off the coast. Video from the scene showed people wearing life jackets floating in the water around the capsized vessel.
While Ustel said the ferry had faced poor weather, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said weather conditions “were not bad” and urged against speculation over the cause of the accident. He said the vessel sank in waters 500 metres deep, making search operations more difficult.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his condolences and said his government was coordinating with northern Cyprus in the search and rescue effort. “We hope we’ll be receiving positive news,” Erdogan said on Sunday in Ankara during a graduation ceremony at the Turkish Military Academy.
Cyprus was divided along ethnic lines in 1974 after a Turkish invasion that followed a coup backed by the military junta in Athens and supporters of union with Greece. Turkish Cypriots declared independence in 1983, but only Turkiye recognises the north, where it maintains more than 35,000 troops. Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but only the Greek Cypriot south, where the internationally recognised government is based, receives the full benefits of membership.
Constantinos Letymbiotis, a government spokesperson in Cyprus, said in a post on X that the government had offered to help in the search and rescue operation with all available means. “In these trying times, our thoughts are with those who lost their lives, those who were injured and all those who are living this tragedy,” Letymbiotis said. “At such times, the protection of human life is paramount.”
The ferry disaster has left at least eight people dead, with rescue teams still searching for the missing after the vessel capsized shortly after leaving northern Cyprus for Turkiye.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
