172 people rescued from sunken vessel near Girne, six dead

The rescue operation off the coast of Girne in Northern Cyprus is continuing: 172 of the 267 people who were aboard the sunken passenger catamaran have been rescued, while six have died. TRNC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel made the announcement on August 30.

The vessel operated by Filo Denizcilik departed from Girne port and capsized approximately 7 km from the shore, near Diana Beach. According to the prime minister, there were 258 passengers and 8 crew members on board. Earlier, Transport Minister Erhan Arıklı gave different figures — 259 passengers and 8 crew members, while Girne Mayor Murat Şenkül said there had been 270 people on the vessel.

“We have mobilised all state institutions for the rescue effort. Every person we save is important to us,” Üstel said at Girne port. The operation involves the coast guards of the TRNC and Turkey, Civil Defence, helicopters, the Express vessel operated by Akgünler, and dozens of private boats that happened to be nearby.

The TRNC Ministry of Health reported that measures had been taken both at the port and in public and private hospitals: medical teams have been deployed and the maximum number of staff are involved. The mayor of Girne described the situation as very serious and urged residents not to spread unverified information.

A crisis-management headquarters convened under Üstel’s chairmanship. Participants included TRNC President Tufan Erhürman, the ministers of transport, health, the interior, finance and agriculture, the commander of the Turkish Forces in Cyprus, the police chief and the head of Civil Defence. The number of people officially reported missing has not been disclosed.

District celebrations marking Victory Day on August 30 have been cancelled because of the incident. The announcement was made by Asu Muhtaroglu, chair of the Central Committee for National Day Celebrations and director of protocol.