Eight dead, nearly 20 missing after Cyprus ferry sinks in 500-metre deep water

Families were still waiting at Girne port on Monday after a high-speed ferry bound for Turkey rolled over over off northern Cyprus, killing at least eight people. Search teams and Turkish divers were combing water more than 500 metres deep for passengers still unaccounted for.

The Filo Jet, a privately run Turkish-flagged catamaran of about 40 metres, left Girne (Kyrenia) for Tasucu in Mersin on Sunday, August 30, with 259 passengers and eight crew: 267 people in all. Most on board were Turkish citizens. Saturday’s sailing had already been held back because of poor weather. Departure on Sunday came at about midday.

How the ferry went down

Trouble started about 15 minutes out, roughly four nautical miles off Girne near Diana Beach. Officials say successive waves struck the double-hulled craft. Survivors later said the boat slammed onto the sea, the bow burst open and water poured in. A distress call followed. Passengers in lifejackets clung to the upturned hull or jumped into the water.

Coastguard boats, helicopters, the passenger ship Akgunler 3 and civilian craft pulled people off the wreck. By late afternoon Filo Jet had gone down, settling on the seabed at 514 metres. None of those brought ashore were described as critically injured in later briefings. Officials put the rescued at about 237 to 242. Missing tallies still differ, with some saying 18 and others 19.

At the port, relatives sat in silence or scrolled news sources on phones for names.

Crew held as search goes on

The captain and seven crew are in custody. Northern Cyprus authorities declared three days of mourning and cancelled August 30 Victory Day events. Weather, the decision to sail and the condition of the vessel are all under inquiry. Divers from Turkey have joined night searches with helicopters, drones and extra ships.

Girne–Tasucu is one of the daily sea shuttles between northern Cyprus and the Turkish mainland.