Key facts
- A ferry named FILOJET carrying nearly 270 passengers and crew capsized off North Cyprus.
- At least eight people have died and 18 are missing.
- 237 people have been rescued.
- The ferry began taking on water shortly after departing the port of Kyrenia.
- The vessel sank to a depth of 514 metres.
- The captain and seven crew members have been detained.
A ferry carrying nearly 270 passengers and crew capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday, resulting in at least eight deaths and 18 missing. Rescuers are continuing their search for the missing individuals. The vessel, identified as FILOJET, began taking on water shortly after departing Kyrenia, en route to Tasucu, Turkey. It sank to a depth of 514 meters. The ship's captain, seven crew members, and another man were arrested, with warrants issued for seven more people. The Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus declared a three-day period of national mourning. Survivors described chaotic scenes, with one mother recounting the harrowing experience of her daughter slipping from her grasp during the disaster. Authorities are attempting to recover the ferry's black box recorder to determine the cause, which Prime Minister Ünal Üstel attributed to two large waves hitting the boat.