Rescuers continue search for missing after deadly north Cyprus ferry accident

Rescuers in northern Cyprus continued their search for survivors after a ferry capsized off the coast, resulting in eight deaths and over a dozen people missing. The ferry, which was bound for the Turkish mainland, left the port of Girne on Sunday at midday with 267 people on board, including 259 passengers and eight crew.

According to survivors, the ferry began taking on water and heard a blast shortly before it capsized about four nautical miles into the journey. The captain and more than a dozen others were detained by police.

The rescue operation, which involved coastguard boats, helicopters, and civilian craft, managed to rescue 241 people, with the missing number ranging from 15 to 18, depending on the source. The ferry sank to a depth of 514 metres, and search teams, including Turkish divers, were combing the water for those still unaccounted for.

Brief written by urgent.news from Euronews, Free Malaysia Today, Euro Weekly News — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.