ISTANBUL, Turkiye: Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Unal Ustel said that at least six people died after a passenger boat carrying 267 people capsized off the coast of Kyrenia on Sunday, saying all available resources had been mobilised for rescue efforts.
Prime Minister Unal Ustel told Turkiye’s state-run Anadolu news agency that the vessel had 259 passengers and eight crew members when it overturned shortly after leaving the port of Kyrenia.
Ustel said 172 people had been rescued so far and that efforts to evacuate the remaining passengers and crew were continuing.
The privately operated ferry left Kyrenia Port at about 12:30 pm local time (0930 GMT), bound for Tasucu in Turkiye’s southern Mersin province.
Ustel said the vessel had originally been due to sail the previous day but its departure was delayed because of weather conditions.
He said the ferry was hit by a first wave after leaving port. As the captain tried to regain control, a second wave struck the vessel and it began taking on water.
The ferry’s captain issued a distress call, prompting coast guard and port authorities to send rescue teams to the area.
The exact cause of the accident was not immediately established.
Images broadcast by Turkish television showed the ferry overturned in the water, with people wearing life jackets on top of its orange hull. Several boats could be seen near the vessel assisting in the rescue operation.
Ustel said all available resources had been mobilised and that medical teams were ready to treat those rescued.
Turkiye’s Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said search and rescue operations involving coast guard units from Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Turkiye, as well as other agencies, were continuing.
“Our primary priority is rescuing the passengers and crew,” Yilmaz said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, adding that Ankara was providing all necessary support to the operation.
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’s health ministry said hospitals across the territory had been alerted and were prepared to provide medical care to those requiring treatment.
The ferry was travelling from Kyrenia, on the northern coast of Cyprus, to Tasucu, a port in Turkiye’s Mersin province.
