At least eight people died and 17 were missing after a ferry carrying around 270 passengers and crew capsized off north Cyprus on Sunday, leaving survivors clinging to its overturned hull.
The privately owned ferry left the port of Kyrenia at 12:30 p.m. (0930 GMT) and immediately started taking on water for an unknown reason, authorities said. It was heading for the Turkish port of Tasucu in the eastern Mediterranean.
Survivors reported the ferry moving erratically, with its last hard impact with the water’s surface breaking the bow of the two-hulled vessel, allowing water to seep in.
The disaster occurred just off the coast of Kyrenia, a popular holiday resort for both locals and tourists. The ferry was one of several shuttle sea services that link north Cyprus, a breakaway unrecognised Turkish Cypriot state, with Turkey daily.
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman told CNN Turk he was “deeply saddened” by the incident.
Video footage showed people in red life jackets sitting or standing on top of the overturned vessel as authorities scrambled coastguard and private vessels for assistance to bring them to shore.
“The vessel had been moving very badly. It was constantly lifting out of the water and slamming back down. It was shaking violently,” survivor Efe Multici told CNN Turk.
“Three or four minutes later, the ferry leapt high into the air, then came crashing down. The front left side burst open and water started pouring in.”
Turkish Cypriot authorities said the captain of the vessel and seven crew had been detained for questioning. By late afternoon, the ship had sank, settling on the seabed at a depth of 514 metres. Divers from Turkey would be assisting the search, they said.
