Rescuers search for 18 missing after boat capsizes off Northern Cyprus

By AFP, AP and Reuters. Published On 31 Aug 202631 Aug 2026.

Key points

• Cyprus was split in 1974 and Turkish Cypriots declared independence from Greek control in 1983.
• The search is continuing for 18 missing individuals the day after eight residents died when a ferry capsized off the coast of Northern Cyprus.
• A major rescue operation began for the 267 passengers and crew on board, according to local authorities.
• "Some people had to jump without lifebuoys or life jackets, " one young man, Efe Multici, informed CNN Turk.
• Individuals were saying, 'Take me too, take me too, ' but the capacity was full, the Associated Press agency noted.

For context, the search is continuing for 18 missing individuals the day after eight residents died when a ferry capsized off the coast of Northern Cyprus.

Early on Monday, the captain and eight others were brought before a judge and placed under formal arrest as three days of national mourning began, according to the official state news agency of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

Meanwhile, the ferry ran into trouble ⁠⁠regarding midday (09: 00 GMT) on Sunday, shortly after leaving the northern port of Girne – additionally known as Kyrenia – heading for the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin province. It was one of a number of daily sea shuttle links with Turkiye.

Notably, a major rescue operation began for the 267 passengers and crew on board, according to local authorities. They remarked 241 were rescued, eight died and 18 were listed as missing. Their nationalities have not been published.

It was not clear if individuals remained trapped on the vessel. It is lying on the seabed at a depth of more than 500 metres (1, 640 ft).

Passengers remarked the boat had begun taking on water before it capsized. Some survivors remarked they heard an explosion at the front of the boat, others stated there was not enough safety equipment. Video from the scene broadcast by Turkish television indicated the capsized ferry with passengers wearing life jackets sitting on top of its orange hull.

"Some people had to jump without lifebuoys or life jackets, " one young man, Efe Multici, informed CNN Turk. "It was literally a fight for survival."

Serkan Kunduraci, who escaped the sinking ferry by hauling himself through a broken window, remarked he saw children and others drowning in the sea 7.5km (4 nautical miles) off the Cypriot coast.

"I saw some who didn't know how to swim die in the sea, " he informed the DHA news agency.

"We saw and witnessed a family's children, boys and girls, very young children, drowning."

Rescuer Muhammed Ozcelik, who runs a water sports firm, stated his boat was one of the first on the scene and began hauling survivors from the sea.

"We tried to do more than we could. Individuals were saying, 'Take me too, take me too, ' but the capacity was full, " the Associated Press agency noted.

Recovering the vessel's "black box" data recorder would support understand what caused the incident, authorities stated. Divers from Turkiye were assisting the ⁠⁠search, authorities stated.

Cyprus was split in 1974 and Turkish Cypriots declared independence from Greek control in 1983. Only Turkiye recognises the north, where more than 35, 000 troops are stationed.

Taken together, the developments around rescuers search for 18 missing after boat capsizes off Northern Cyprus point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.