A major maritime rescue operation is under way off the northern coast of Cyprus after a passenger ferry carrying hundreds of people capsized, leaving seven people dead and 23 others missing, according to Turkish Cypriot authorities.
The vessel was carrying 267 people, including passengers and crew, when it encountered serious trouble off the coast of Kyrenia, also known as Girne. Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said 237 people had been rescued, while emergency teams continued searching the surrounding waters for those still unaccounted for.
The ferry was travelling from Kyrenia to the Turkish port of Taşucu, in Mersin province, when the incident occurred. Reports indicate that the vessel began taking on water roughly 15 minutes after departure, several nautical miles from the coast. Adverse weather conditions were reported in the area at the time, although authorities have not yet established the precise cause of the capsizing.
As the vessel overturned, passengers were forced into the sea. Images and video from the scene showed people wearing life jackets in the water as rescue teams moved in to assist survivors. Coast guard units, support vessels and smaller boats were deployed as authorities launched an intensive search for those who remained missing.
The scale of the emergency prompted a rapid response from multiple agencies. Officials said all available state resources were being mobilised, with the immediate priority focused on locating the 23 missing people before conditions at sea made the search more difficult.
Üstel expressed condolences to the families of those who died and said rescuers were continuing their work with urgency. The tragedy has also prompted local officials to appeal to the public to rely on verified information and avoid spreading unconfirmed reports while the operation remains under way.
The incident occurred near Diana Beach, off the coast of Kyrenia. The ferry was reportedly operated by Filo Denizcilik, and authorities are expected to examine the vessel, weather conditions and circumstances surrounding the rapid loss of stability as part of the investigation.
For families waiting for news, the search remains a race against time. Rescue crews face the difficult task of covering open waters while attempting to locate people who may have been separated from the vessel during the capsizing.
The disaster has once again highlighted the dangers faced by passenger vessels operating in unpredictable maritime conditions. While hundreds of people have survived the incident, the confirmed deaths and continuing uncertainty surrounding those missing have cast a shadow over the busy sea route between Cyprus and southern Turkey.
Authorities have not yet announced a final account of the circumstances that caused the vessel to capsize. The search-and-rescue operation remains active, and officials are expected to provide further updates as teams recover additional survivors or establish the whereabouts of those still missing.