Overview
- Rescue teams have pulled about 159 people from the water so far after a passenger ferry with roughly 267 people on board capsized several kilometres off Kyrenia on Sunday.
- Local video and eyewitness reports show the ferry floating keel-up after taking on water, and many passengers were seen wearing life jackets on the hull or in the sea.
- Turkish Cypriot coast guard vessels, military rescue helicopters and boats from Kyrenia led the response and continue searching for more survivors and any missing passengers.
- The capsize followed a severe storm that hit Cyprus on Saturday, which caused islandwide flooding, downed trees, landslides, power outages and the confirmed recovery of one dead boat operator at Cape Greco.
- Authorities have not determined the cause of the sinking and are investigating whether storm-driven flooding or other factors led to the vessel taking on water, with updates expected as rescue and probe work continues.