8 dead, 18 missing after passenger ferry capsizes off northern Cyprus
At least eight people have died and 18 others are missing after a passenger ferry carrying 267 people capsized off northern Cyprus, according to local media. Search and rescue operations continued through the night.
The Filo Jet, a catamaran operated by Filo Maritime, left Kyrenia for Tasucu, Turkey, at about 12:30 p.m. local time when it began taking on water for unknown reasons. The vessel later capsized off the coast of Kyrenia, a port city in the Turkish-controlled northern part of Cyprus.
There were 259 passengers and eight crew members on board. Rescuers have reached 249 people, including 241 who were rescued alive and eight who were confirmed dead.
Eighteen people remain unaccounted for. Ships, Coast Guard boats, helicopters, aircraft and drones from Turkey and northern Cyprus have been deployed to search the area, while a military radar aircraft has also flown over the waters.
Passengers who reached shore were taken by ambulance to hospitals. Authorities have detained the captain and seven other crew members as they investigate the cause of the disaster.
Survivor accounts cited by Sky News said the ferry encountered stormy conditions and that some passengers asked for it to turn back, but their requests were refused. The circumstances of the sinking have not been confirmed.
Northern Cyprus has declared three days of national mourning.
BREAKING: Passenger ferry sinking off the coast of Northern Cyprus
There are 279 people on board. Turkish media report that some passengers have been injured.
People are awaiting rescue on the overturned ferry, which was heading to the Turkish port of Taşucu
Coast guard… pic.twitter.com/XwgpXiga9q
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) August 30, 2026
The post 8 dead, 18 missing after passenger ferry capsizes off northern Cyprus appeared first on BNO News.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
