NICOSIA, August 31 — At least eight people died and 18 remained missing after a passenger ferry carrying 267 people capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday, as rescue crews pulled survivors from the water and police detained the captain and seven crew members.
The catamaran, operated by the Filo Denizcilik company, left the port of Kyrenia on a voyage toward Turkey and began taking on water about 15 minutes after departure in adverse weather conditions, according to Ünal Üstel, prime minister of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The vessel went over roughly four miles north of Kyrenia, off Diana beach, leaving many of those aboard clinging to its overturned hull.
Turkish Cypriot authorities said 241 people were rescued alive, while 18 were still unaccounted for as search-and-rescue operations continued into Monday. Coast guard units, the Akgünler Express vessel and numerous small boats took part in the operation. Survivors were brought ashore as emergency crews and medical teams worked at the Kyrenia waterfront.
Police detained the ferry’s captain and seven crew members as part of an investigation into the disaster. “Even the slightest negligence will be uncovered,” Üstel said, vowing a thorough inquiry into how the tragedy occurred.
The capsizing is one of the deadliest maritime accidents involving a passenger vessel in the eastern Mediterranean in years. Witnesses described scenes of panic as the ferry heeled over within minutes of leaving port, and survivors spoke of people being thrown into the sea without life jackets as the vessel listed sharply.
Rescue teams were still combing the waters off the northern coast on Monday, with officials saying the priority remained reaching those still missing. The investigation is expected to examine the vessel’s maintenance record, loading and weather conditions at the time of departure.