Operations off Northern Cyprus Continue 24/7
After the tragedy with the Filo Jet ferry near Kyrenia: The victims are now 13, looking for another 15 missing at a depth of 550 meters
NICOSIA / KYRENIA, 6 September 2026 – Rescue teams and the Turkish Navy continue their 24/7 large-scale operations near Northern Cyprus due to the sunken ship, informs the Bulgarian National Radio (bnrnews.bg/horizont/post/524735/operatsiite-kray-severen-kipar-zaradi-potanaliya-korab-prodalzhavat). As of 5:37 Bulgarian time, efforts to search for missing passengers and the vessel's black box have not stopped, working in extremely difficult conditions at great depths.
The tragic balance: Another body has been pulled from the sea
The number of confirmed victims in the shipwreck of the high-speed passenger ferry Filo Jet has reached 13 people, after another body was found on Saturday, reports bTV News (btvnovinite.bg/svetut/otkriha-oshte-edno-tjalo-ot-potanalija-feribot-kraj-kipar-zhertvite-sa-veche-13.html). The missing 15 passengers, who are believed to have sunk with the vessel's hull.
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Yunal Yustel confirmed that the rescue operation would continue 24/7 until the last person was found. There were a total of 267 people on board the ship when it began taking on water and capsized last Sunday, August 30, shortly after setting sail from the port of Kyrenia (Girne) towards Taşucu, Turkey. 239 passengers and crew were successfully rescued.
Modern robotic equipment 550 meters underwater
The main focus of the current A deep-sea rescue operation in the Mediterranean Sea is targeting the wreckage of the ferry, located about 554 meters deep, reports the foreign publication Daily Sabah (dailysabah.com/turkiye/turkish-navy-continues-robotic-search-operation-off-turkish-cyprus/news).
Turkey has mobilized a huge flotilla to provide assistance. The Turkish Southern Naval Command is leading the operations, which include:
9 specialized vessels, led by the rescue vessels TCG Işın and the underwater research vessel TCG Alemdar; 11 aircraft (planes, helicopters and reconnaissance drones) that scan the surface and coastline; Above 800 specialized personnel.Remotely operated robotic underwater vehicles (ROVs) equipped with highly sensitive cameras and side-scan sonar are being used for the under-ice survey. In addition to the bodies of the missing, teams are trying to retrieve the catamaran's black box to clarify the exact causes of the damage on board.
Arrests and investigation into fake licenses
A large-scale criminal investigation launched by the Turkish Ministry of Transport is also underway in parallel with the search. The captain of the sunken ferry and part of the crew were arrested on charges of causing death by negligence, the BTA news agency recalls (bta.bg/bg/news/balkans/1196558-turtsiya-izprati-vtori-voenen-korab-kray-kipar-za-izdirvatelnite-operatsii-za-po).
The media revealed shocking details from the interrogations, according to which the captain admitted that he had purchased his captain's license for the sum of 3,500 dollars. Currently, all maritime services of the owner company Filo Denizcilik in the region have been suspended until further notice.