Passengers Killed and Missing After Turkish Ferry Capsizes off Cyprus
A large search and rescue operation was underway off the north coast of Cyprus after a Turkish ferry began taking on water shortly after it departed and rapidly capsized miles from shore. The last reports said 237 people were rescued, while seven or eight bodies have been recovered, and between 17 and 22 people are still reported as missing.
The ferry Filojet departed the port of Girne at noon on Sunday for a trip that lasts approximately two hours to the mainland of Turkey. The vessel was a high-speed catamaran ferry, with reports that there were 259 passengers aboard and eight crewmembers. The Filojet was 40.5 meters (133 feet) in length.
Filojet was a high-speed catamaran making two-hour runs between Cyprus and Turkey (Filo Denizcilik)
The vessel had begun taking on water shortly after departing, and the captain issued an emergency call. It rolled onto its side while it was approximately four nautical miles off the coast. A government minister has said in an unconfirmed report that the vessel later sank in an area of approximately 514 meters (1,686 feet) in depth.
The government of the Turkish community on Cyprus said that rescue crews were able to reach the vessel approximately 15 to 20 minutes after the distress call. Four vessels from the Coast Guard, along with the passenger ship Akgunler 3, were rescuing people from the water and were being joined by five marine vessels and two Coast Guard helicopters from Turkey. Six navy vessels were also joining the search.
Some passengers had been able to don lifejackets and jump into the water. Video of the rescue operation appears to show people standing on the mostly submerged vessel. Survivors were being brought to hospitals on Cyprus.
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Norveç yap?m? bu teknelerin alt? bo?. Daha sakin sularda, göllerde h?zl? gitmesi için tasarlanm??.
Aç?k denizde hele ki f?rt?nal?, dalgal? denizde kullan?lmas? çok tehlikeli oldu?u biliniyor.
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A government official said the service had been suspended on Saturday due to adverse weather conditions. They said the sea conditions were still quite rough but that it was acceptable for the trip. Girne is a popular tourist destination on Cyprus for the Turkish community.
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There is speculation that the ferry might have struck an object in the water, and the minister said they would be looking at this as one possibility. The Turkish authorities were also dispatching a vessel with divers to the site, and the plan is to recover the vessel’s "Black Box" as quickly as possible.
The captain and seven crewmembers from the ferry have been taken into custody as part of the investigation.
