A passenger ship bound for Turkey capsized near the island of Cyprus, Turkish media and the online edition of the Cypriot newspaper “Cyprus Mail“ reported.
According to Turkish media, the ship, a catamaran, was carrying 279 passengers. According to “Cyprus Mail“, there were 267 passengers on board, of which 259 were passengers and eight crew members.
According to information from the Turkish media “Haberler“ the ship capsized after flooding off the coast of Girne (Kyrenia) in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is recognized only by Turkey.
According to local authorities in the TRNC, quoted by “Habertürk“, a total of 159 people have been rescued, with victims whose number is currently unknown. Search and rescue operations are continuing, all hospitals and ambulances in the area have been put on alert, and the incident is being investigated.
According to information in the Turkish media, the ship is owned by the Turkish shipping company “Filo Denizcilik“ and was traveling on the Girne (Kyrenia) - Turkish city of Mersin line.
When the ship was 2-2.5 km from the coast, it began to fill with water. The ship's captain quickly changed course towards the port, but was unable to reach it.