A double-hulled ferry carrying 267 passengers and crew capsized on Aug 30 roughly 7.5 km off Kyrenia (Girne) en route to Tasucu, Turkey, leaving at least eight dead and 18–20 missing in waters more than 500 metres deep. Northern Cypriot authorities opened three days of mourning and detained the captain and crew as rescue vessels from the TRNC, Turkey and private operators continued searching.
The vessel, identified as a French-made Filo-Jet catamaran, began taking on water shortly after departing Kyrenia. Survivors reported hearing an explosion at the bow and described a lack of life jackets; the ferry lies on the seabed at 514 m while divers attempt to retrieve its data recorder. Police detained the captain and 15 others, with nine appearing in court on Aug 31 charged with negligent homicide.
TRNC Prime Minister Unal Ustal said 239 people were rescued and President Tufan Erhurman pledged to hold the ferry company accountable pending black-box findings. Turkey deployed six naval vessels and two drones to assist, and UN representative Khassim Diagne extended condolences.
Accounts diverge on the missing count: the TRNC prime minister cited 20, while other officials and earlier tallies put the figure at 18, and the precise cause of the capsize remains under investigation.