Cyprus offers aviation resources to search for people missing after ferry capsizes off Kyrenia

The Republic of Cyprus has offered the Turkish Cypriot side assistance with the search and rescue operation after a passenger ferry capsized off Kyrenia on 30 August. According to the latest data, seven people were killed, 237 were brought ashore, and the fate of 23 people remains unknown.

The vessel departed from Kyrenia’s new port and was heading for Taşucu in Turkey. The ferry capsized at around 12:10, shortly after departure. There were 267 people on board — 259 passengers and eight crew members.

The Larnaca Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC), which is responsible for search and rescue within Cyprus’s area of responsibility, said it was ready to join the operation. The centre asked the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) to inform the Turkish Cypriot side that the Republic of Cyprus would provide aviation search-and-rescue resources if necessary.

President Nikos Christodoulides instructed chief negotiator Menelaos Menelaou to contact Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman and confirm the readiness to help. “When people’s lives are at risk, we help with all available means. The Republic of Cyprus has the resources, operational capabilities and, above all, the readiness to provide immediate assistance,” the Cyprus News Agency quoted a government source as saying.

Government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis expressed “deep sorrow” and condolences to the families of those who died. “At such a time, the protection of human life comes above all else,” he said.