NICOSIA, Cyprus | Seven people have died and 23 remain missing after a passenger ferry carrying 267 people capsized off the northern coast of Cyprus on Sunday, triggering a major search and rescue operation involving Turkish and Turkish Cypriot coast guard vessels, helicopters and civilian boats.
The ferry, operated by Filo Denizcilik, was carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members when it left the port of Kyrenia, also known as Girne, at about 12:30 p.m. local time bound for Taşucu in Turkey’s Mersin province. Authorities said the vessel began taking in water shortly after departure, about 7.5 kilometers, or four nautical miles, from the coast near Diana Beach.
Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said 237 people had been rescued alive, while search teams continued looking for those unaccounted for. Survivors were brought back to Kyrenia, with some taken to hospitals for treatment.
Video from the scene showed passengers wearing life jackets in the water and survivors clinging to the overturned catamaran. Four Turkish Cypriot coast guard vessels, a civilian passenger boat, five Turkish coast guard vessels and two helicopters were deployed during the rescue operation. Authorities said additional technology was being used to determine whether anyone remained trapped inside the vessel.
The cause of the accident remained unclear. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman said the island had experienced fierce storms on Saturday, although he noted that weather conditions had been considered suitable for travel. Authorities have not established whether the rough weather directly caused the ferry to take on water.
The Kyrenia-Taşucu route is an important sea link between northern Cyprus and Turkey, with ferry services operating regularly between the two ports. Filo Denizcilik’s published schedules show Filo Jet operating the route in August 2026, including on the day of the accident.
Northern Cyprus is the Turkish-controlled northern part of the island, which has remained divided since 1974. The internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus controls the south, while Turkey is the only country that recognizes the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Kyrenia, the departure point for the ferry, is one of the main ports and tourist centers in the north.
Officials described the incident as an unprecedented disaster for the area’s ferry services. Rescue teams continued working into Sunday as authorities focused on locating the missing and determining why the vessel capsized so soon after leaving port.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
