An eighteenth body was recently recovered near the wreck of the fast ferry Filo Jet, which sank off Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus, on August 30.
Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said the body will undergo DNA analysis to establish its identity.
Ten people remain unaccounted for following the accident.
Üstel also confirmed that two bodies recovered earlier this week have been identified as Nihat Pancar and five-year-old Mehmet Asaf Biçer. The boy’s 12-year-old sister, Miray Biçer, remained missing, while their parents, Ayten and Hayri Biçer, survived.
The high-speed ferry was carrying 259 passengers and eight crewmembers when it left Kyrenia’s new port for Taşucu in Turkey’s Mersin province shortly after midday (local time) on August 30. It took on water through its bow and sank while attempting to return to port.
A total of 239 people were rescued.
Local officials said the September 28 recoveries were made during seabed searches about 1,000 metres from the wreck at a depth of 570 metres. The wreck itself was found at a depth of 554 metres.
At a September 25 briefing, Üstel said the wreck had been divided into sections and each part examined, but the operation yielded no further bodies from within it. Families were also shown footage of the work undertaken inside the vessel.
Üstel also said the vessel’s voyage data recorder, recovered that day, had been handed to police for examination.
Two Turkish Navy vessels also took part in the search operation, while the deepsea research vessel Optimus Prime subsequently joined the effort.
Nine suspects remained in custody after the Kyrenia District Court ordered an additional seven-day remand on September 25. The group comprises ferry captain Mustafa Oz, seven crewmembers and a director of Filo Denizcilik, the ferry’s operator.
The suspects face charges of causing death through negligence and carelessness.
Baird Maritime tracks global passenger vessel accidents in its comprehensive database, which can be accessed here.