Death toll from vessel sinking off Girne rises to eight, 17 people missing

TRNC Minister of Public Works and Transport Erhan Arıklı said that the number of people killed in the sinking of a passenger vessel off the coast of Girne had risen to eight. Another 17 people are still missing, and the search and rescue operation is continuing.

According to the minister, the sunken vessel came to rest on the seabed at a depth of 514 metres. A fully equipped vessel with divers has been sent from Turkey to operate at such a depth and is expected to reach the site of the sinking in the coming hours.

Arıklı noted that the vessel had undergone an inspection at the Akdeniz shipyard just two months ago. The inspection was carried out by the Türk Loydu classification society. The cause of the accident is not yet known: according to the minister, the vessel began taking on water and sank very quickly, and the voyage data recorder must be recovered to establish what happened.

Speaking on the BRT radio and television broadcaster, the minister urged people not to trust reports on social media, calling them a source of disinformation.

The vessel sank on 30 August shortly after leaving the port of Girne. There were 267 people on board — 259 passengers and eight crew members.