9 of 16 suspects in Filo Jet ferry disaster case brought to Girne court

On the morning of 31 August, nine suspects in the case concerning the sinking of the Filo Jet ferry off the coast of the city were brought to the Girne District Court. Arrest warrants have been issued for 16 people, so Judge Hazal Hacımulla ordered that all of them be brought to court and adjourned the hearing until 11:30.

The investigation is being conducted by the Girne Police Investigation Department, and the case has been classified as causing death by negligence. Those brought to court include the carrier company’s director, the vessel’s captain, his assistant, the chief engineer and crew members; the police requested three-day detention for them. The remaining seven people are port authority employees and co-owners of the company.

According to police data presented in court, there were 267 people on board: 259 passengers and eight crew members. Eight people died, 18 are listed as missing, and the others were rescued.

The investigation has already questioned more than 100 people, while camera footage and recordings from passengers’ phones are being examined. According to the police version, the forward section of the vessel’s left hull broke off, after which it began taking on water. Crew members also said in their initial statements that the bow section had broken away.

The vessel’s sailing permits were in order: they had been issued by the classification society Türk Loydu, the port authority and the meteorological service, and the vessel underwent its most recent inspection in June 2026. TRNC Transport Minister Erhan Arıklı said that the company’s services from Girne had been suspended, while the voyage data recorder has not yet been found — it may have detached when the vessel sank.