Six fatalities, 23 unaccounted for in Kyrenia ferry disaster
Developing story first seen 1 hour ago
The death toll from the ferry capsizing off Kyrenia in northern Cyprus has risen sharply, with the prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) confirming at least six fatalities and other reports citing seven deaths, up from the single death reported earlier. Around 100 passengers have now been evacuated to shore, though rescue teams are still working to reach 23 people believed to remain unaccounted for, with the total death and rescue figures continuing to change as the operation develops.
The Filo Jet catamaran, carrying between 267 and 270 passengers and crew according to differing official counts, left Kyrenia at 11.58am local time bound for Taşucu in Turkey's Mersin province, a roughly 40-mile crossing. It is reported to have begun taking on water two to four miles offshore before capsizing, prompting a large-scale response from Turkish Cypriot coastguard vessels, rescue helicopters and ambulance crews, with Turkey's coast guard also joining the search. Footage shows the vessel upturned in the water with survivors in life jackets clinging to its hull; the cause of the sinking remains under investigation, and hospitals in the TRNC have been placed on alert to treat casualties.
- Death toll rises to six or seven, up from one earlier report
- About 100 rescued so far; 23 people still unaccounted for
- Cause of Filo Jet ferry's capsizing off Kyrenia still under investigation
New here? Start with this
The disaster took place on a busy leisure and passenger route across the eastern Mediterranean, linking Kyrenia in Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus with Taşucu on Turkey's southern coast, a crossing of around 40 miles used regularly by ferries carrying holidaymakers and travellers between the two territories. The vessel involved, a catamaran named Filo Jet, was carrying between roughly 267 and 270 people when it began taking on water a few miles out to sea and capsized.
Northern Cyprus, formally the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is recognised only by Turkey and depends heavily on ferry links to the Turkish mainland for trade and travel, since the island's division means it has no direct international shipping or flight connections recognised elsewhere. This makes such crossings a routine part of daily life for many residents, which is part of why an incident of this scale, involving a large number of people on one vessel, has drawn such a significant emergency response from both Turkish Cypriot and Turkish coastguard and rescue services.
The scale of the disaster, with dozens of people rescued but a large number still missing, has made it one of the deadliest maritime incidents in the region in recent memory, and the reasons the ferry began flooding before capsizing are not yet established.
Full account
A high-speed passenger ferry that capsized shortly after leaving the northern Cypriot port of Kyrenia has left at least seven people dead, with around 23 more still unaccounted for as a large-scale search and rescue operation continues. Ünal Üstel, prime minister of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), confirmed the death toll and said the immediate priority was saving lives, offering his condolences to bereaved families. The territory, recognised only by Turkey, has controlled the northern third of Cyprus since Ankara's intervention in 1974 following a coup engineered from Athens.
The vessel involved, named Filo Jet and operated by the company Filo Denizcilik, was a 40-metre, 10-metre-wide high-speed craft sailing under the Turkish flag. It had set off from Kyrenia (also known by its Greek name, Girne) around the middle of the day, bound for the Turkish port of Taşucu in Mersin province, a crossing of roughly 40 miles that would normally take several hours. Reports indicate the ferry began taking on water a few miles from shore before capsizing; a local official later said it had gone down to a depth of more than 500 metres. Sea conditions along the north coast were officially forecast as calm at the time, with only gentle swell reported once vessels move further from the coastline.
Precise figures for how many people were aboard have varied between officials. Üstel put the total at 259 passengers and eight crew, while Kyrenia's mayor gave a higher figure of 270 passengers and crew on social media; Turkey's interior ministry, meanwhile, cited 267 people on board. The TRNC's transport minister, Erhan Arikli, said that around 100 people had already been brought safely to shore, though he cautioned that the cause of the capsizing remained under investigation and that the number still missing was liable to change as the search progressed.
A substantial emergency response was mounted, with coastguard vessels and rescue helicopters despatched to the scene and ambulances lined up on the beach to receive survivors. Footage broadcast locally showed the ferry's hull upturned in the water, with people in life jackets clinging to it before being winched or ferried to safety. Üstel said security forces, rescue teams and health officials were all engaged in the operation, describing saving lives as the overriding concern. Filo Denizcilik said it was deeply saddened by what it called a tragic accident and set up a telephone hotline for relatives seeking information about passengers.
Where outlets differ
Both accounts agree seven deaths have been confirmed, though the story's headline figure of six is not supported by either source and appears to be an earlier or inconsistent count.
Passenger and crew totals differ across officials: the TRNC prime minister cited 259 passengers plus eight crew (267 total), Kyrenia's mayor said 270 were aboard, and Turkey's interior ministry separately put the figure at 267.
Departure time is given differently — one source says 12:30 local time, the other 11:58am — a discrepancy of roughly half an hour.
The second source includes considerably more technical and contextual detail than the first, such as the ferry's destination port and expected arrival time, the distance offshore where flooding reportedly began, the vessel's eventual sinking depth of around 514 metres, and the official sea-state forecast, none of which feature in the first account.
The first source places more emphasis on the human and institutional response — the prime minister's public statement of condolence, the operator's apology, and the relatives' hotline — while the second focuses more heavily on the mechanics and geography of the voyage.
Coverage
- BBC World — Boat carrying some 270 people capsizes off northern Cyprus
- Daily Mail — One dead and 99 missing after Cyprus ferry capsizes