A passenger ship with about 270 people on board, including passengers and crew, capsized this Sunday off the northern coast of Cyprus. In response, the Turkish Cypriot coast guard has launched an urgent rescue operation, local authorities reported, describing the situation as “serious.” At least six people have died, according to Turkish media, the country to which the vessel was headed.
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While some media outlets claim the ship capsized, the Minister of Transport of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Erhan Arikli, told the press that the ship was about to sink off the coast of the New Port of Girne (Kyrenia in Greek).
Meanwhile, the mayor of the city of Girne described the situation as “serious” and stated that the vessel sank.
“The passenger and cargo ship Diana, belonging to Filo Maritime, sank off Diana Beach. There are a total of 270 people on board, including passengers and crew,” the mayor specified on his social media.
“A passenger ship belonging to the shipping company Filo Denizcilik has sunk off the coast of Diana Beach. There are a total of 270 people on board, including passengers and crew,” the mayor specified on his social media.
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“The situation is extremely serious. The Coast Guard, the Express ship from the company Akgünler, and numerous small boats are participating in the rescue efforts,” he added.
Accident
The vessel had departed from Girne heading to the Turkish port of Tasucu
According to the CyprusMail newspaper, the vessel was a ferry that departed from Girne heading to the Turkish port of Tasucu and capsized early this afternoon about four miles north of the Cypriot coast for reasons still unknown.
In addition to the Turkish Cypriot coast guard boats, a rescue helicopter was sent as reinforcement and several other vessels departed from Girne to assist in the rescue efforts.
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