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Disaster in Northern Cyprus. Captain detained, 18 people still missing.
The disaster in Northern Cyprus has already claimed eight lives, and the fate of 18 people remains unknown. The captain of the Filo Jet and seven others have been detained, while a search operation off the coast of Kyrenia will continue throughout the night.
Since our previous update, new information has emerged regarding the investigation, the nighttime operation, and the first minutes of the crash. It is also known that the emergency signal was received by the Republic of Cyprus Rescue Center in Larnaca, and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that there were no Polish citizens on the passenger list.
The rest of the article is below
Disaster in Northern Cyprus. Eight people arrested.
One of the most important new pieces of information is the commencement of proceedings regarding responsibility for the disaster.
The "Prime Minister" of the unrecognized Turkish Cypriot administration, Ünal Üstel, announced that the captain of the Filo Jet and seven other people associated with the operation of the unit.
The proceedings are intended to clarify all the circumstances of the incident and determine whether negligence occurred.
At this stage, however, it has not been revealed what specific suspicions apply to those detained or whether formal charges have been brought against any of them.
Detention alone does not determine responsibility for the disaster.
CHECK ALSO
Previous update: seven victims and 23 people wanted.
https://cyprnews.pl/katastrofa-filo-jet-7-osob-nie-zyje-23-wciaz-sa-poszukiwane/
Footage from inside the Filo Jet
Videos taken by people inside the Filo Jet have appeared on social media as the situation on board the vessel began to rapidly deteriorate.
The first recording documents the initial phase of the incident from the perspective of those on board.
The film is an important record of events, but it does not allow us to determine why the vessel began taking on water.
The second recording shows the next phase of the situation inside the ship.
The evidence may be valuable in later reconstructing the sequence of events. However, it should not be used to independently draw conclusions about the cause of the disaster.
Latest tally: 8 victims and 18 wanted people
The balance changed throughout Sunday evening.
According to the latest data provided by Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman:
- 241 people were rescued,
- 8 people died,
- 18 people are still missing.
This means that the fate of 249 of the 267 people on board has been determined.
Slightly different data had appeared earlier – 242 rescued and 17 missing – so we at CYPRNews accept the later balance provided by the crisis centre.
Northern Cypriot media are also reporting appeals from families searching for their loved ones. Children are among those still uncontacted.
The alarm signal at 12:13 was also received in Larnaca
An official statement from the Joint Search and Rescue Coordination Centre of the Republic of Cyprus sheds new light on the first minutes of the disaster.
JRCC reported that at 12:13 received an emergency signal regarding Filo Jet.
The unit under the Turkish flag was then approximately 5 nautical miles north of Kyrenia and she was in danger.
The Larnaca Centre immediately contacted the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus – UNFICYP – and the relevant Bi-Community Committee.
The Turkish Cypriot side was informed that the JRCC was ready take over the search and rescue operation and deploy its own air and sea resources.
The priority was to be solely saving human lives.
However, the Turkish Cypriot side responded that at this stage I do not need the support of the Larnaca center.
This is an important distinction. It does not mean that there was a formal political refusal to provide assistance. The official statement merely states that at this time, the Turkish Cypriot side deemed additional JRCC support unnecessary.
This is what the beginning of the rescue operation looked like
The third recording we will embed in the material shows an earlier phase of the operation at sea.
The Filo Jet was still partially visible on the surface at that time, and rescue operations were underway around the capsized vessel.
In the following hours, the situation changed dramatically. The vessel was completely submerged, and efforts focused on locating those still missing.
13 units and two helicopters will operate overnight
The search will not be interrupted after dark.
According to the evening announcement, the night operation is to be attended by 13 vessels and two helicopters.
Airplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles and equipment enabling observation after dark are also used in the operations.
A military radar plane was also deployed to search the crash area.
Turkish Cypriot authorities also report that specialized equipment is being sent from Turkey to enable further operations at much greater depths.
The wreck lies very deep
According to information provided by Erhan Arıklı, the "minister" responsible for transport in the unrecognized administration, the Filo Jet rests at a depth of approximately 514 meters.
Such great depth significantly complicates further actions.
It was announced that a specialized unit and teams with equipment enabling operations even at depths of approximately 1,000 meters would be dispatched from Turkey.
Arıklı also reported that the Filo Jet was supposed to have been inspected at the Akdeniz shipyard by Türk Loydu about two months earlier.
However, this information comes from the "minister", and not the result of a completed investigation.
It does not yet answer the question about the actual technical condition of the ship at the time of the disaster.
Locating devices recording data from the unit may also be important for the investigation.
Engineers demand independent investigation
The Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Engineers and Architects KTMMOB called for the independent, comprehensive and transparent investigation.
The organization wants to precisely determine both the cause of the sinking and the possible responsibility of individuals or institutions.
This is particularly important because there are many hypotheses on the Internet regarding weather conditions, the decision to start a voyage, the construction of the ship and its technical condition.
At this stage none of these versions have been officially confirmed as the cause of the disaster.
Three days of mourning in the occupied north
The “Council of Ministers” of the unrecognized Turkish Cypriot administration announced three days of mourning.
It is to be in force from August 31st to sunset on September 2nd.
Earlier, some events related to the celebration of the Turkish holiday on August 30 were canceled.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also commented on the disaster. Ankara announced its cooperation in determining the circumstances of the tragedy and any potential liability.
The largest Polish media are writing about the disaster
The events off the coast of Kyrenia are already being widely reported in Poland.
Information about the disaster is published and updated by, among others: Onet, Interia and Polsat News.
Polish media also asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whether there could have been any Polish citizens on board.
Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs: There were no Poles on board
For Polish readers this is one of the most important pieces of information.
Maciej Wewiór, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that according to available data There were no Polish citizens on the Filo Jet passenger list.
Polish diplomatic missions in Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus checked information about the passengers.
At this stage, there is no information about Poles among the victims, rescued people or people still missing.
CHECK ALSO
First information about the Filo Jet disaster and the start of the major rescue operation:
https://cyprnews.pl/katastrofa-promu-u-wybrzezy-kyrenii/
The night may bring further information
The most important task remains to find 18 people, whose fate has still not been determined.
In parallel, an investigation is underway to answer the question of why the disaster occurred and whether it could have been prevented.
The captain and seven other people were detained, but until the results of the investigation are available, there is no basis for determining their responsibility.
The balance may still change as the night operation progresses.
CYPRNews will publish further updates as they are confirmed.
Sources: Türk Ajansı Kıbrıs, Kıbrıs Postası, Haber Kıbrıs, Yenidüzen, JRCC of the Republic of Cyprus, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Interia
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