Eight People Die After Ferry Turns Over Near Cyprus
A boat with 267 people on board turned over after it left Kyrenia in northern Cyprus.
A ferry turned over in the sea near northern Cyprus.
Eight people died. Eighteen people are missing.
The boat left the town of Kyrenia on Sunday. It had 259 passengers and eight crew.
Two big waves hit the boat. Then water came into it.
Most of the people on the boat were saved. Helicopters and boats helped them.
The captain and seven crew are in police hands. Officials want to know why this happened.
The boat has now sunk. The government will look at the accident carefully.
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Eight Dead and 18 Missing After Ferry Capsizes Off Northern Cyprus
The ferry left the holiday town of Kyrenia with 259 passengers and eight crew members on Sunday.
At least eight people have died and 18 people are still missing after a passenger ferry capsized off northern Cyprus on Sunday.
Ünal Üstel, the prime minister of the Turkish administration in northern Cyprus, said the ferry was carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members when it started taking on water. The boat left the holiday town of Kyrenia at about 12:30 local time. It was going to travel to Turkey on Saturday, but it was delayed because of bad weather.
Üstel told Turkish media that two waves hit the boat. The captain was trying to recover after the first wave when a second wave hit and water came into the ferry.
Officials say most of the people on board were rescued. Helicopters and coastguard boats went to the scene, and ambulances waited on the beach. The transport minister, Erhan Arikli, said 100 passengers had been taken to shore.
The captain and seven crew members have been detained as part of an investigation. The boat has now sunk, and the authorities are trying to find its black box recorder. A hotline is giving information to the families of passengers.
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Eight Killed and 18 Missing After Ferry Capsizes Off Northern Cyprus
A search and rescue operation continues after a ferry carrying 267 people turned over shortly after leaving Kyrenia.
At least eight people have died and 18 others are still missing after a passenger ferry capsized off northern Cyprus, according to Ünal Üstel, the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Turkish republic on the island.
Üstel said the privately owned ferry was carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members when it began taking on water after leaving the coastal holiday town of Kyrenia at about 12:30 local time (09:30 GMT) on Sunday. The boat had been scheduled to travel to Turkey on Saturday, but the trip was delayed because of poor weather. Üstel told the Turkish media outlet TRT that the vessel was hit by two waves: while the captain was trying to recover from the first, a second wave hit and water entered the boat.
Officials say the vast majority of those on board have been rescued. Helicopters and coastguard boats were sent to the scene and ambulances were stationed on the beach. Erhan Arikli, the transport minister, told local media that 100 passengers had been taken to shore. A search and rescue operation with Turkish authorities is continuing.
The captain and seven crew members have been detained as part of an investigation into "how this tragedy occurred", Üstel wrote on social media. He said the "priority right now is human life" and promised that "even the slightest negligence will be uncovered".
The ferry has now sunk and the authorities are trying to recover its black box recorder. Mustafa Koc, who saved around 65 people with his own boat, told the BBC that the crew should have waited for calmer weather. "The sea was quite choppy," he said. Filo Denizcilik, the company that operates the boat, said it was "deeply saddened by the tragic accident".
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