A passenger ferry capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday, killing at least eight people and leaving 18 othe...

A passenger ferry capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday, killing at least eight people and leaving 18 others missing. The vessel, carrying 267 passengers and crew, went down roughly 7.5 kilometers off the Cypriot coast after departing Kyrenia for the Turkish port of Tasucu. Survivors described chaos from the moment the ship began taking on water. Serkan Kunduraci, who escaped by hauling himself through a broken window, said crew members initially told passengers there was no major problem, just a loose gasket causing a minor leak. By the time the evacuation order came, the ship was already listing badly and people were panicking. "There were those who, in a panic, didn't grab life jackets," Kunduraci said. "Some jumped into the sea immediately out of fear." He described watching young children drown and an elderly man his group tried to save but could not pull from the water. Another survivor, Deniz Ozpolat, said doors were shut during the scramble to evacuate, trapping passengers below deck. "They shut the doors on us and we couldn't get out," he said. People eventually broke windows to rescue others as the hull rolled onto its side. Muhammed Ozcelik, a water sports operator whose boat reached the scene early, said his crew pulled far more people aboard than their vessel could safely hold. "People were saying, 'Take me too, take me too,' but the capacity was full," he said. The ferry was owned by Filo Denizcilik. All eight crew members were taken into custody pending an investigation. Unal Ustel, the prime minister of northern Cyprus, called it the worst maritime disaster in Cypriot history and said those found responsible would be held accountable. Turkish coast guard and military vessels joined the search operation. The region has been divided since 1974, with Turkey maintaining over 35,000 troops in the north, the only government to recognize it as independent. #Cyprus #MarineDisaster #Kyrenia