Northern Cyprus ferry disaster: at least seven dead as vessel capsizes – latest updates
An estimated 237 people have been rescued after accident off the coast of northern Cyprus Fatalities after ferry carrying nearly 270 capsizes off northern Cyprus In a post to Facebook, the mayor of the coastal town of Kyrenia, Murat Senkul, described the situation as “very serious” and confirmed that 270 passengers and crew were aboard when the ship sank off the coast of Diana beach. He said the ferry belonged to the Filo Denizcilik company. “The Coast Guard, the *Akgünler Express* vessel, and n
Here are the main updates from the last few hours:
The death toll has risen to “at least 8” , with 18 people still missing.
Ünal Üstel, the north’s Turkish Cypriot prime minister, told Turkish state broadcaster TRT that 237 people have so far been rescued.
Survivors have described a blast which went off at the vessel’s bow before the catamaran-style ship rolled over.
The captain and seven other crew members have been arrested and are in custody
The captain was allegedly among the first to abandon ship , according to witnesses who spoke to local media.
The boat was sailing from the port of Kyrenia, in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, to the port of Taşucu in Turkey , when the disaster occurred about 4 nautical miles (7.5km) off the coast.
Three children rescued from the sea were in intensive care on Sunday.
The ferry has “completely sunk to a depth of 514 metres (1,686 feet)”, according to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ transport minister
Coverage from 5 sources
- Northern Cyprus ferry disaster: at least seven dead as vessel capsizes – latest updatesGuardian - World · Harry Cockburn (now) and Yohannes Lowe (earlier) · Aug 30, 2026, 5:14 PM
- Captain and crew arrested after at least seven die in Northern Cyprus ferry disaster – latest updatesGuardian - World · Harry Cockburn (now) and Yohannes Lowe (earlier) · Aug 30, 2026, 5:17 PM
- Captain and crew arrested after at least eight die in Northern Cyprus ferry disaster – latest updatesGuardian - World · Harry Cockburn (now) and Yohannes Lowe (earlier) · Aug 30, 2026, 7:03 PM
- Captain and crew arrested after at least eight die in Northern Cyprus ferry disaster – as it happenedGuardian - World
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