At least seven people die in northern Cyprus, ferry capsizes | Today’s news
(Bloomberg) — At least seven people died after a ferry carrying about 267 people capsized while sailing from Kyrenia in northern Cyprus to Tasuc in southern Turkey, Anadolu news agency reported, citing Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Unal Ustel.
Of the 259 passengers and eight crew members aboard the Filo Jet Turkiye high-speed ferry, 237 were successfully rescued and brought ashore, Anadolu said. The search for 23 others continues.
Four Turkish Cypriot Coast Guard boats and a passenger craft were quickly deployed to the scene, and a rescue helicopter was dispatched as backup. The Turkish Coast Guard dispatched five vessels and two helicopters, and six Turkish vessels were also deployed.
Ustel and Erhan Arikli, the transport minister of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, traveled to Kyrenia to oversee rescue operations, the Nicosia-based Cyprus Mail reported.
The ferry started taking on water about 6.5 kilometers off the coast of Kyrenia, Arikli told Turkey’s NTV television, adding that the cause was unclear.
The 68-mile cruise from Kyrenia to Tasuc takes about two hours on a high-speed craft and is suitable for commuters and tourists.
Sunday’s incident was the latest in a series of ferry and small craft accidents in recent weeks.
In Guyana, murder charges have been filed against the captain and two crew members of a state-owned ferry that capsized in July, killing more than 70 people. At least 97 people drowned when an overcapacity government ferry sank this month on Lake Kariba, which borders Zimbabwe and Zambia.
A mother and five-month-old baby drowned when a boat capsized in New York harbor near the Statue of Liberty this month. The Coast Guard said the vessel was over capacity and the captain was arrested and charged with misconduct and negligence.
(Updated with new death toll, details of rescue operations and other recent incidents.)
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