Fourth Day of Kyrenia Ferry Disaster: 20 People Still Missing

Search and rescue operations are continuing for the passenger vessel that capsized and sank off Kyrenia.

Eight people have been confirmed dead, while air and sea units continue efforts to locate the 20 people still missing.

On the fourth day of the disaster, relatives of those missing continued their anxious vigil outside Kyrenia Port, where the vessel began its voyage.

Families are awaiting updates from the Turkish Navy’s TCG Işın, which has been conducting search and rescue operations in the area, and TCG Alemdar, which has also joined the efforts. Operations are continuing both on the sea surface and underwater.

Despite the hot weather, relatives have continued waiting under tents set up outside the port, hoping for news of their loved ones. Activity at the site continued throughout the day.

Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, Finance Minister Özdemir Berova and Economy and Energy Minister Olgun Amcaoğlu also visited Kyrenia Port, met with relatives and received briefings on the ongoing operation.

Institutions and Businesses Support Families

Kyrenia Municipality, along with numerous institutions, organisations and businesses, is providing assistance to families waiting at the port.

Water and food are being supplied throughout the day, while clinical psychologists from the Barış Mental and Neurological Diseases Hospital, under the Ministry of Health, are providing psychological support to the families.

Meanwhile, civilian ferry services at Kyrenia Port resumed under controlled conditions yesterday, with police overseeing vessels entering and leaving the port.

Families Call for Sensitivity From Media

Families waiting at the port have expressed their concerns about the ongoing process and called on members of the media covering the disaster to respect their grief.

Following discussions between police and journalists, it was decided that a separate working area for members of the press would be established near the port entrance but away from the section where the families are waiting.

Once the necessary infrastructure is in place, journalists will move to the designated area and continue their work there.

Air and Sea Units Support Search Operation

The search and rescue operation is being supported by military ships and boats from Turkey and the TRNC, as well as a military aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters dispatched from Turkey.

TCG Işın Continues Operations as TCG Alemdar Joins Effort

The Turkish Navy’s Rescue and Salvage Ship TCG Işın, which arrived in the area off Kyrenia yesterday, continues its search operations at the site of the disaster.

The TCG Alemdar, one of the Turkish Navy’s submarine rescue vessels, has also joined the operation following TCG Işın.

TCG Alemdar can provide external ventilation at depths of up to 600 metres, facilitate diving operations to depths of up to 90 metres and carry out salvage operations in open waters.

“Object Believed to Be Wreck Located at 550 Metres”

President Tufan Erhürman said yesterday that an object believed to be the wreck of the vessel had been detected at a depth of approximately 550 metres.

Erhürman said operations at such a depth required highly technical and precise procedures, resulting in the search progressing slowly.

Eight Victims Identified

The eight people who died in the ferry disaster were identified as Nihat Balyemez, Hüseyin Özdemir, Nuray Zeytun, Fahri Ateş, Gülcan Gürel, Reyhan Verim, Nisa Torer and Nurcan Hilaloğlu.

Prime Minister Ünal Üstel previously said the number of missing people had been established at 20 after cross-checking hospital records with the passenger manifest.

20 People Still Missing

The 20 people still missing are:

Ferdi Törer, Mustafa Demir, Mahmut Demir, Özgür Gönül, Anni Asel Hilaloğlu, Şerif Özdemir, Süleyman Erdoğan, Saliha Miray Biçer, Mehmet Asaf Biçer, Orhan Bekret, Nazmiye Özbolat, Elmas Demir, İsmail Kurt, Yulia Özcan, Ayhan Özcan, Elife Bayır, Nihat Pancar, Mustafa Kemal Yaralı, Mehmet Bayhan and Mehmet Nuri Ayran.