Eight dead and 20 still missing: search operation continues after ferry sinking off Cyprus

Search efforts for the missing in the ferry disaster off the coast of Northern Cyprus continue today, Tuesday, around the clock, after authorities confirmed that eight people were killed and 20 are still defined as missing. Turkey has joined the operation and dispatched a naval search and rescue ship to the area, which is expected to arrive at the scene today to assist in locating the missing and recovering the ferry's black box from the seabed.

The fast ferry "Philo Jet" sank on Sunday, just four nautical miles from the port city of Kyrenia. The vessel was on its way to Tasucu on the Turkish coast when it began taking on water, capsized, and sank within minutes. According to the authorities in Northern Cyprus, 241 passengers were rescued. Almost all the passengers were Turkish citizens or Turkish Cypriots.

However, there is a discrepancy in the official data released: authorities stated that there were 267 people on the ferry, but the data on 241 rescued, eight dead, and 20 missing adds up to 269 people. As of now, no explanation has been provided for this gap.

The Turkish search and rescue ship "TCG Işın" is expected to arrive at the scene today. It is capable of conducting search operations at depths of up to 3,000 meters and will attempt to reach the remains of the ferry, which according to authorities lie at a depth of about 514 meters. One of the main tasks will be to recover the voyage data recorder, the black box, which may provide answers regarding the circumstances of the disaster.

The president of the Turkish entity in Northern Cyprus, Tufan Erhürman, arrived at the new port in Kyrenia, where the families of the missing gathered, and promised that the searches "will continue with the same intensity, without interruption, day and night." The Prime Minister of Northern Cyprus, Ünal Üstel, stated that ships, helicopters, planes, and rescue teams are participating in the operation, which he said is being conducted "24 hours a day."

Despite the continuation of the searches, a source involved in the operation admitted that the chances of finding more survivors are slim. "No one says this publicly, but the hope of finding survivors at this stage is very low," he said. "Those who were not rescued probably did not manage to get a life jacket. We believe that many of the missing are elderly people, mothers with infants, and small children."

Recordings and testimonies published after the disaster showed the moments of panic on the ferry's deck. Passengers were seen desperately searching for life jackets and screaming, shortly before the twin-hulled vessel capsized.

Ayten Biçer, one of the mothers who was on the ferry, told how her 12-year-old daughter slipped from her hands and disappeared into the water. "She told me, 'Don't let go.' And I didn't let go of my daughter. I swear I didn't let her go," she said in tears. Two of her other children are also among the missing.

Parallel to the search operation, the authorities have opened a criminal investigation. The ferry captain and seven crew members were arrested on Monday, amid claims that they were among the first to abandon the vessel. In their testimony before the court, the crew members claimed that the bow of the ferry, which was built in a catamaran configuration, broke apart due to the rough sea.

However, passenger testimonies raise questions regarding this version. Some of the survivors claimed that they asked the crew to return to port after the ferry began taking on water, but their calls went unanswered. The seaworthiness of the 26-year-old ferry is also now at the center of the investigation. The owners of the private company that operated it and its shareholders were summoned to court. Turkish-Cypriot officials estimated that anyone found responsible for the disaster could face trial for gross negligence.

An extraordinary gesture came from the British-Cypriot billionaire and founder of EasyJet, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who offered to transfer 260,000 euros to assist the families of the dead and missing. The move was praised by the authorities in Northern Cyprus, who declared three days of national mourning.