Ferry Sinks Off Cyprus, Leaving At Least Eight Dead

A passenger ferry capsized and sank off the coast of Northern Cyprus on Sunday, killing at least eight people and leaving more than a dozen missing.

Police arrested the ship’s captain and seven crew members as search-and-rescue teams continued to look for survivors.

Carrying 267 people, the vessel rolled over four miles off the coast shortly after departing the port of Kyrenia for Tasucu, Türkiye.

Rescuers brought 161 passengers to local hospitals, while another 76 returned home safely.

Surviving passengers described a catastrophic sequence of events on board, reporting a loud explosion at the bow before the vessel flooded and capsized.

Witnesses accused the captain of ignoring early reports of water leaks and abandoning ship without coordinating an evacuation.

Passengers also noted a severe shortage of life vests, forcing many to jump directly into the sea to survive.

Turkish television broadcast images showing survivors clinging to the vessel’s overturned orange hull before it completely sank to a depth of 514 metres.

Emergency teams, private boats, and six Turkish Navy ships continue searching the area for the 17 passengers who remain missing.

TRNC Transport Minister Erhan Arikli stated that authorities plan to recover the vessel’s black box to determine whether an internal blast or an underwater collision caused the disaster.

In response to the tragedy, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged full support for the rescue operations, while officials across the region coordinated emergency medical care for the survivors.