A passenger ferry with 267 people on board capsized off the coast of Northern Cyprus on Sunday, killing at least seven people and leaving others missing, Turkish media reported. Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Unal Ustel confirmed the deaths and said 237 people had been rescued.
The vessel was a catamaran-style ferry that departed the port of Kyrenia, also known as Girne, at around 12:30 p.m. local time, bound for Tasucu Port in the southern Turkish city of Mersin. It began taking on water a few kilometers from shore for reasons not yet determined, according to Al Jazeera correspondent Resul Serdar. The captain issued a distress call, and coast guard and port authorities immediately dispatched rescue teams.
Images broadcast by Turkish television showed the ferry floating upside down, its orange hull above the waterline with survivors in life vests clinging to it. The weather was sunny at the time of the incident and several boats were visible in the area assisting with the rescue.
The Northern Cyprus Coast Guard Command deployed passenger ships, five pilotage units, and two coast guard helicopters in response. The Turkish Naval Forces assigned six additional naval units to support the operation.
Turkish Cypriot Transport Minister Erhan Arikli told Turkish news agency Anadolu that an investigation into the cause of the incident would be conducted. Hospitals in Northern Cyprus were placed on alert to receive and treat any injured passengers brought ashore at Girne Port.
