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A vessel from Türkiye capable of operating at depths of around 1,000 meters is due to arrive Tuesday to support search and rescue efforts after a passenger ferry capsized off Girne in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), killing eight people and leaving 20 others missing.
The Filo Jet was carrying 267 people, including 259 passengers and eight crew members, when it began taking on water through its bow shortly after departing Girne, also known as Kyrenia, around midday Sunday.
The TCG Isin, a Turkish Navy rescue and towing vessel, is commanding search operations in the area where the Filo Jet sank after capsizing Sunday.
The wreckage is lying at a depth of about 514 meters.
The TCG Isin is expected to deploy personnel equipped with pressure-resistant suits as well as a robotic submersible to the wreckage, raising hopes of locating the missing passengers and recovering the vessel’s black box.
Search operations off Girne, also known as Kyrenia, involve one aircraft, five drones, seven helicopters, eight ships and nine boats.
SAT commandos from Türkiye and Turkish Navy diving teams are also taking part in the operation.
Authorities said 241 people were rescued and eight bodies were recovered, while search efforts are continuing for 20 people still missing.
All eight people killed were Turkish citizens, according to Turkish Cypriot authorities.
Eighteen of those initially reported missing were also Turkish citizens, while two were from Turkish Cyprus.
TRNC President Tufan Erhurman said Monday that search and rescue operations had continued through the night with the same intensity as on Sunday.
Speaking after meeting relatives of passengers waiting at Girne Port, Erhurman said the identities of all eight people who died had been established and their families contacted.
He said the vessel arriving from Türkiye on Tuesday would be capable of operating at depths of around 1,000 meters.
The capsized ferry later sank and is lying at a depth of about 514 meters, according to Public Works and Transport Minister Erhan Arikli.
Divers have also been working to recover data from the vessel’s so-called black box in an effort to determine the cause of the disaster.
“Divers were deployed today ... and this effort will continue tomorrow as well,” Erhurman said, pledging to establish every aspect of what happened.
He said authorities expected to have more confirmed information Tuesday.
Fourteen suspects were brought before Girne District Court on Monday as part of the investigation into the disaster, including the ferry’s captain, crew members, company personnel and port officials.
The court ordered nine suspects, including the captain, first officer, a company employee and several crew members, to remain in custody for an additional three days.
Five others, including two port officials, were released pending trial.
Police are also seeking two additional people under a court order.
The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday as investigators gather statements, documents and other evidence, question witnesses and assess new findings.
Prime Minister Unal Ustel said port officials who authorized the vessel’s departure had been suspended and were under investigation.
“The relevant port officials who authorized the ship’s departure have also been suspended from duty, an investigation has been launched against them, and new officials have been appointed in their place,” Ustel said.
He said any negligence, fault or responsibility connected to the disaster would be fully investigated and that no wrongdoing would be covered up.
Relatives of some passengers protested as the suspects were brought to court.
The captain and crew told the court that the ferry capsized after its bow was broken open by rough waves.
They said weather data had shown no problems at the time of departure and that the vessel had valid navigation and administrative certificates.
The court ordered police to examine videos recorded by passengers and investigate claims surrounding the circumstances of the accident.
It also called for a technical examination to determine whether the vessel had previously been involved in accidents or undergone repairs.
Arikli said authorities would investigate allegations made by survivors, including claims that some doors were locked and that the captain abandoned the vessel.
He said his ministry would conduct a separate investigation alongside the police inquiry, covering the ferry’s documents, seaworthiness, port permits and safety measures.
The findings will be made public, he said.
Some survivors said the ferry began taking on water shortly after leaving the port and alleged that crew members did not respond to their warnings.
Several passengers also said they heard what sounded like an explosion shortly before the vessel capsized, while others alleged there was not enough safety equipment for everyone aboard.
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“Some people had to jump without lifebuoys or life jackets,” survivor Efe Multici told CNN Turk. “It was literally a fight for survival.”
Footage broadcast by Turkish television showed passengers wearing life jackets sitting on the overturned orange hull before the ferry sank.
One of those killed was a police officer who had returned to the vessel to look for life jackets for his wife and child, who survived, according to Turkish newspaper Sabah.
The exact cause of the disaster has not yet been established.
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