Ferry disaster off Kyrenia coast. 267 people on board, at least one dead.

A ferry disaster off the coast of Kyrenia triggered a major maritime rescue operation on Sunday. The Filo Jet, a high-speed passenger vessel, began taking on water as it set sail for Taşuc, Turkey, and then capsized. There were 267 people on board. At least one death has been confirmed.

Coast Guard units, helicopters, and numerous ships, fishing boats, and private vessels in the area were dispatched to the scene. The rescued passengers are being taken to Kyrenia Harbor, from where they are being taken to hospitals for treatment. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing.

Ferry disaster off the coast of Kyrenia

The accident occurred on Sunday, August 30, after the vessel had left the port of Kyrenia, in an area controlled by the Turkish Cypriot administration.

The Filo Jet was cruising towards Taşucu in the Turkish province of Mersin.

The timetable published by the operator itself, Filo Denizcilik, confirms that the Filo Jet high-speed vessel was scheduled to operate on the Kyrenia–Taşucu route on August 30.

Haber Kıbrıs reported that the vessel capsized about two kilometers from the port. Erhan Arıklı, in charge of transportation for the Northern Administration, told TAK that the vessel began taking on water about four miles from shore.

These differences show that the exact course and location of the failure will still need to be determined.

The ship began to take on water

According to information provided by Kıbrıs Postası, the vessel began taking in water and the captain attempted to return towards port.

The maneuver was unsuccessful.

The catamaran listed and then capsized. Footage from the scene shows passengers wearing life jackets in the water, waiting for help near the capsized vessel.

At this stage It is not known why the ship began to take on water..

There is also no basis for determining whether there was a technical failure, hull damage, crew error or other event.

There were 267 people on board, not 279

The first information was very chaotic.

Some local media reported 279 people, while Kyrenia Mayor Murat Şenkul initially spoke of around 270 people. This figure was later reported by Greek Cypriot and foreign media.

However, later more detailed information appeared, provided by Erhan Arıklı to the Türk Ajansı Kıbrıs agency.

On board were:

• 259 passengers,
• 8 crew members,
• together 267 people.

This is the figure that CYPRNews considers most credible at this stage.

At least one person is dead

Erhan Arıklı reported on Sunday afternoon that one person died.

He also noted that during the ongoing operation he could not yet provide the final balance.

Turkish Ambassador to Nicosia Ali Murat Başçeri previously spoke to TRT television about "deaths", without specifying their number.

Therefore, for an hour of preparing this material we can reliably write:

At least one death has been confirmed, but the final death toll is not yet known.

How many people were saved?

Here too, the numbers change as the operation progresses.

Kyrenia Mayor Murat Şenkul initially informed about 159 people reached by rescuers.

Later Turkish reports reported that they had already been rescued. nearly 200 people.

However, there is not yet a full, final list of the names of all people on board.

Therefore, the difference between the number 267 and the current number of rescued cannot be automatically treated as the number of missing persons.

The operation is ongoing, and some passengers can only be registered after being brought to shore.

Great mobilization at sea

In the first minutes after the accident, the president of the local association of sea tourism operators, Faik Gencer, appealed to all units in the area to join in the rescue of passengers.

The following people rushed to the crash site:

• Coast Guard units,
• Akgünler Express,
• private boats,
• fishing vessels,
• helicopter participating in the evacuation.

The mayor of Kyrenia described the situation as "very serious" and at the same time appealed not to publish unconfirmed information.

Hospitals and ambulances on standby

After the alarm was announced, emergency medical teams were mobilized.

Kıbrıs Postası reported that all ambulances and hospitals, especially in the Kyrenia region, have been put on alert.

People brought ashore are taken for examination.

Some passengers were taken to hospital by ambulance, while those not requiring medical transport were also transported by other vehicles.

No reliable, final tally of the number of injured or information about their condition has yet been published.

What is known about Filo Jet?

The unit involved in the accident is Filo Jet, a high-speed passenger ship of the HSC type belonging to the operator Filo Denizcilik.

Shipping data assigns a number to the unit IMO 8962034.

The ship is approximately 40 meters long and 10 meters wide, was built in 2000 and its gross tonnage is 339 GT.

The official Filo Denizcilik timetable shows that Filo Jet regularly operates the route Kyrenia–Taşucu.

This is also important because the name appeared in the first reports "Express".

Haber Kıbrıs referred to the vessel as such, but the operator's data and shipping records identify the vessel as Filo Jet. Therefore, we will use this name in the material.

Was the ship overloaded?

There is no indication of this at the moment.

With 267 people on board, there is no basis to suggest that the accident was caused by too many passengers without an official investigation.

Various hypotheses are already appearing online regarding the ship's technical condition, hull structure and the reasons for its rapid water intake.

None of them have been officially confirmed yet.

Was it the weather?

This is a particularly important question because the accident occurred the day after violent storms and gales swept across the island.

Saturday was also very unsettled in the north, with exceptionally strong winds reported in some areas.

This does not mean, however, that Sunday's Filo Jet crash was due to weather.

Erhan Arıklı said directly that at the time of commencement of the voyage there were no conditions justifying a ban on going to sea.

"We don't know what happened yet. We're investigating the cause," he told Turkish media.

Therefore, at this stage we do not causally connect the two events.

We will have to wait for the answer as to why the ferry sank.

The most important question remains unanswered: Why did the Filo Jet start taking on water so soon after leaving port?

The questions to be clarified include where the leak occurred, how quickly water entered the vessel and whether the crew had the opportunity to control the situation.

It is also unknown whether there were any technical problems before the flight.

Only an investigation and examination of the unit will make it possible to determine the actual cause of the disaster.

For now, the priority remains finding everyone on board.

Sources: Türk Ajansı Kıbrıs, Kıbrıs Postası, Haber Kıbrıs, Yenidüzen, Bugün Kıbrıs, Filo Denizcilik, Reuters, AP, Cyprus Mail