A rescue vessel from Çanakkale is heading to the ferry that sank off Girne at a depth of 514 metres

TRNC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said that a rescue vessel equipped for deep-sea operations had departed from Çanakkale for the passenger ferry Filo Jet, which sank off Girne and is lying at a depth of about 514 metres. The vessel is expected to reach the site of the wreck in the afternoon.

According to Üstel, after the passenger manifest was cross-checked against the names of those rescued, it was established that 20 people remain missing. Authorities had previously reported 17 and then 18 missing. Eight people died; all of them have been identified, and the bodies have begun to be handed over to their families.

The aim of the deep-sea operation is to inspect the sunken ferry and determine whether there are people inside. The data obtained will be made public after the operation is completed.

The search is continuing around the clock, involving the police, the Security Forces and the Peace Forces. The search area has been expanded with the deployment of maritime and aerial assets. Türkiye is providing assistance with vessels, helicopters, aircraft and rescue teams, while additional forces joined the operation overnight.

The rescued people who sustained injuries were taken to four hospitals — Dr. Akçiçek Hospital and the military hospital in Girne, Dr. Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital and Near East University Hospital in Lefkoşa. At the crisis centre in Girne’s tourist port, Üstel met with relatives of those missing. “Our pain is immense,” the prime minister said.