The ferry that overturned off the coast of Northern Cyprus has fully sunk, settling at a depth of 514 metres. This was reported to the A Haber television channel by the Minister of Transport of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Erhan Arıklı.
As the minister clarified, the investigation into the causes of the accident has not yet been completed. Establishing the exact circumstances of the vessel’s sinking is planned after the recovery of the voyage data recorder — the so-called black box.
The vessel sank on the afternoon of 30 August off the coast of Northern Cyprus. The ferry was travelling from Kyrenia (Girne) to Mersin and was approximately 4 miles from the shore when it began taking on water and subsequently capsized.
According to the Minister of Transport of Northern Cyprus Erhan Arıklı, rescue teams arrived at the scene 15–20 minutes after the distress signal was received. In connection with the shipwreck, eight people have been detained.
As a result of the incident, eight passengers died. Another 23 people are listed as missing — the search for them is still ongoing. There were a total of 267 people on board the ferry.
The Russian Union of Travel Industry reported that no information has been received about Russian citizens being on board. The organisation noted that it continues to monitor the development of the situation.
