A catamaran-style passenger ferry operated by Turkish company Filo Denizcilik capsized on Sunday a few kilometers off the coast near Kyrenia (Girne), in the Turkish-administered area north of Cyprus, after taking on water shortly after departing for the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin province. Local authorities said the vessel, carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members, sank to a depth of roughly 514 metres. As of Sunday, eight people had been confirmed dead and 17 remained unaccounted for, according to the north’s transport minister, while 242 people had been brought ashore, many taken to hospitals in Kyrenia and northern Nicosia.
Turkish Cypriot and Turkish coast guard vessels, along with helicopters and a civilian passenger boat, were deployed to the scene, and a fully equipped search vessel with divers was en route from Turkey to search the wreck site. The Kyrenia-to-Tasucu route is one of the busiest crossings in the eastern Mediterranean and the principal maritime link between the area north of Cyprus and mainland Turkey, spanning roughly 70 nautical miles of open water. The mayor of Turkish-held northern Nicosia described the sinking as the worst maritime disaster in the more than four decades since the territory declared independence.
Source: Cyprus Mail — https://cyprus-mail.com/2026/08/30/kyrenia-ferry-death-toll-rises-to-eight
Tags: Cyprus, Kyrenia, Ferry Safety
