Sucuoğlu: Reaching 14 Missing Ferry Passengers Is Our Top Priority

Sucuoğlu made the remarks during a handover ceremony with Finance Minister Özdemir Berova, who had been serving as acting Public Works and Transport Minister.

Emphasizing that he was taking over the ministry at a difficult and challenging time, Sucuoğlu said: “Our first duty and priority will be to locate the 14 people who went missing in this tragic incident and whom we believe were aboard the sunken vessel, and return them to their families. That will be our first step.”

Sucuoğlu said they had been in close contact with the families of the missing since September 11 and had been keeping them informed of new developments. He said the disaster had caused profound grief across society.

“This is a tremendous tragedy. It is one of the greatest tragedies the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has experienced since 1974. It has deeply affected all of us and society as a whole,” he said.

Sucuoğlu said Turkey and the TRNC were making intensive efforts to locate the missing, adding that Prime Minister Ünal Üstel had also taken important initiatives throughout the process.

He said the specially equipped Optimus Prime vessel from Turkey had arrived in Cyprus.

“This vessel has different capabilities and features. Using drilling and cutting methods, we aim to reach our citizens without much more time passing. We will also closely follow the process,” Sucuoğlu said.