Elmas Demir, who died in the Filo Jet disaster, to be buried in Eskişehir

The body of 58-year-old Elmas Demir, who died when the Filo Jet catamaran sank off Girne, was taken to the Turkish city of Eskişehir, where a farewell ceremony and funeral will be held today.

The vessel sank on 30 August while traveling from the port of Girne to Taşucu (Silifke). The woman’s body was recovered from the sea during a search-and-rescue operation, then flown to Ankara and transported by car to Eskişehir, where relatives met the coffin at the İlahiyat Mosque in the Fevziçakmak neighborhood of the Tepebaşı district.

Elmas Demir was 58 years old and the mother of five children. The funeral prayer will be held after the noon prayer, and she will be buried at Asri Cemetery.

The victim’s husband, Abbas Demir, told journalists that he would file a complaint against the vessel’s captain and other responsible parties and would seek to bring them to trial. He said he had spoken to his wife at around 11:30, before she boarded the vessel, but was unable to reach her by phone at 12:30. The victim’s son, Cemal Demir, said the family was grateful that his mother’s body had been returned.

Twelve people died in the Filo Jet disaster, while 16 others remain missing. The search at the site is continuing: the Turkish vessels TCG Alemdar and TCG Işın are operating at a depth of around 550 meters.