Several killed, rescues under way after ferry with more than 260 on board sinks off northern Cyprus
France 24 · LC · trust 57/100
At least seven people died when a ferry carrying more than 260 people capsized and sunk off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday, according to local authorities. Rescue crews were dispatched to the scene, with footage showing passengers in life jackets in the water around the overturned vessel.
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Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said 237 people had been rescued alive, while seven people had died and 23 people were still being sought.
“We have reached 237 people alive. However, we have also recovered seven people who lost their lives. We are deeply saddened by this,” Erhurman told CNN Turk in a live broadcast.
The privately owned ferry left the North Cyprus port of Kyrenia at 12.30pm local time (0930 GMT) and immediately started taking on water for an unknown reason, Anadolu reported.
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Northern Cyprus Transportation Minister Erhan Arikli told TRT that the ship had overturned and that rescue crews were already on the scene.
Several companies run ferries on the busy route between Kyrenia and Tasucu. It is not yet known which company was operating the ferry that capsized.
Video footage from the scene shows people with life-vests floating in the waters around the capsized vessel.
The TRNC, which is recognised only by Turkey , controls the northern third of the island of Cyprus , which has been divided since 1974.
Ankara occupied that part of the island that year in response to an Athens-engineered Greek Cypriot coup seeking union with Greece . The TRNC today is served with regular air and sea links to Turkey.
"All necessary preparations are being made for a swift response from rescue and health services," the TRNC's health ministry said in a statement.
It added that hospitals in the territory had been alerted, so they could provide any medical attention that might be needed.
The TRNC is dependent on Turkey, and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said on X that "we are providing all necessary assistance to the search and rescue operations".
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz posted a message on X offering "all necessary assistance" to the search and rescue operations. © Screengrab, X @_cevdetyilmaz Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to visit the TRNC on Monday to see its president, Tufan Erhurmann, who was elected by the territory's voters in October.
The visit would be Erdogan's first since 2023.
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