Vessel with 267 people on board sinks off the coast of Kyrenia

A passenger vessel operated by Filo Denizcilik sank off the coast of Kyrenia in Northern Cyprus on 30 August. According to Erhan Arıklı, the TRNC’s minister of public works and transport, there were 259 passengers and 8 crew members on board. The rescue operation is ongoing.

The FiloJet catamaran, with a fiberglass hull, has a capacity of 346 passengers. The vessel departed from Kyrenia port and capsized approximately 2 km from the shore, near Diana Beach. According to preliminary information, water began entering the bow; the captain attempted to turn around and return to port but was unable to do so in time. There is no official cause of the incident yet.

Kyrenia Mayor Murat Şenkul said that there were around 270 people on the vessel in total and described the situation as very serious. Coast guard boats, the Express vessel operated by Akgünler, vessels belonging to other passenger carriers, as well as private yachts and excursion boats that were in Kyrenia port, are taking part in the rescue efforts.

Ambulances and police units have been dispatched to the scene. At around 13:30, all ambulances and hospitals in the region, primarily in Kyrenia, were placed on heightened alert. TRNC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel and Minister Arıklı arrived at the scene.

At the time of publication, there was no information on the number of people rescued or fatalities. The mayor of Kyrenia called on residents to refrain from publishing material that creates information noise.