The captain and several crew members of a ferry that capsized off the northern coast of Cyprus appeared in court on Monday, facing charges of negligent homicide following a disaster that resulted in at least eight deaths and left 18 passengers missing. The Turkish-flagged vessel, carrying 267 passengers, capsized near Kyrenia (Girne) in the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Sunday amid rough sea conditions.
Authorities arrested the ferry’s captain, Mustafa Oz, along with seven crew members and a ferry company official, handcuffing them during the court appearance in Kyrenia. They have been charged with negligent homicide as investigations continue into the circumstances leading to the disaster. The search for missing passengers is ongoing, with Turkish authorities deploying drones and a maritime patrol plane to assist in the efforts.
Survivors have described chaotic scenes during the sinking, with reports that the front hull was severely damaged by powerful waves before the vessel flipped onto its side. Passengers said the ferry began taking on water minutes after departure, and some claimed that warnings from passengers and crew about the vessel’s condition were dismissed. According to survivors, those aboard pleaded with Captain Oz to return to port due to the rough sea, but he reportedly chose to press on despite the deteriorating conditions.
Eyewitness accounts allege that the captain abandoned ship early in the crisis, leaving passengers stranded in panic. Some survivors described searching for life jackets themselves and stated there were not enough for everyone. A number of passengers reportedly found doors locked, preventing timely evacuation, while others broke through windows or climbed onto the overturned hull. Videos shared on social media capture the confusion and fear inside the vessel, with passengers screaming and struggling to escape.
One survivor, Ayten Bicer, recounted losing her 12-year-old daughter Miray during the incident as a suitcase knocked the child from her grasp amid the chaos. More than one family reported similar tragic losses. Rescue teams arrived within 20 minutes, locating survivors on the hull and in the water, but some young children were swept away before receiving life jackets.
The ferry had been delayed from its original Saturday departure due to high winds reaching up to 110 mph but set sail on Sunday afternoon despite rough sea conditions. The TRNC prime minister, Ünal Üstel, pledged a thorough investigation into every aspect of the incident, emphasizing that any negligence would be fully exposed. Efforts to recover the sunken vessel and its black box, resting 5.4 meters below the seabed, are underway to aid the inquiry.
The incident has drawn attention amid the complex political situation in Cyprus, where the TRNC governs the northern part of the island but is recognized only by Turkey. The ferry operated between Girne and the Turkish mainland, underscoring the region’s reliance on such maritime transport despite safety concerns raised by local residents and passengers.