Cyprus: At least seven dead after ferry capsizes off northern coast

A ferry that had just departed from Kyrenia (Girne) bound for the Turkish port of Taşucu in Mersin Province capsized on Sunday off the northern coast of Cyprus, just a couple of miles offshore. The vessel, a private catamaran operated by the company Filo Denizcilik with 259 passengers and eight crew members on board, began taking on water shortly after setting sail at 12:30 p.m. (local time) for reasons that remain unknown.

"Of the 267 people on board, 237 were rescued, seven are dead and 23 remain missing," Unal Ustel, prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), told Turkey’s public broadcaster TRT in a live interview.

Hospitals on alert and aid from Ankara

The TRNC Ministry of Health said that hospitals in the territory had been alerted. Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz wrote on X that Turkey is providing "all necessary assistance" for the rescue effort. The numbers remain fluid: other local authorities later reported more people rescued and a death toll that may rise.

Turkish television showed the orange hull upside down with people wearing life jackets on top, under a clear sky and surrounded by several boats.

Turkey's ambassador in Nicosia, Ali Murat Başçeri, confirmed that there are fatalities, though he did not provide a figure. He told TRT that "the vast majority of the 259 passengers have been rescued." That count excludes the crew.