Eight people were killed while 18 others have gone missing after a ferry capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Turkish-recognised state of Northern Cyprus on Sunday, August 30.
The Turkish-flagged catamaran ferry Filo Jet was transporting 259 passengers in addition to eight crewmembers when she took on water shortly after leaving the Northern Cyprus port of Kyrenia in the early afternoon (local time) of Sunday.
The vessel was en route to Taşucu in Turkey when the incident occurred just four nautical miles off the coast.
Coast guard boats from both Turkey and Northern Cyprus have since been deployed to the area to conduct search and rescue (SAR) operations.
Local officials said 241 people who were on the ferry have been rescued so far. Many survivors were found clinging to the vessel's overturned hull by the time SAR teams arrived on-scene.
Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Ünal Üstel described the incident as "the biggest maritime disaster Cyprus has experienced."
The Prime Minister added that the captain and the seven other crewmembers have been detained as authorities conduct an investigation into the tragedy.
Some survivors have recounted that the captain had ignored their warnings that the ferry was taking on water shortly after it left port.
Others said that as the passengers scrambled for lifejackets when the vessel began to capsize, they discovered that there were not enough lifejackets available on board.
According to the survivors, the captain was one of the first to abandon ship.
There have also been reports circulating that the capsizing was preceded by a blast that had occurred near the ferry's bow.
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