NICOSIA, Aug 30 (Reuters) - At least eight people died and 17 were missing after a ferry carrying around 270 passengers and crew capsized off north Cyprus on Sunday, leaving survivors clinging to its overturned hull.
The privately owned ferry left the port of Kyrenia at 12:30 p.m. (0930 GMT) and immediately started taking on water for an unknown reason, authorities said. It was heading for the Turkish port of Tasucu in the eastern Mediterranean.
Survivors reported the ferry moving erratically, with its last hard impact with the water's surface breaking the bow of the two-hulled vessel, allowing water to seep in.
The disaster occurred just off the coast of Kyrenia, a popular holiday resort for both locals and tourists. The ferry was one of several shuttle sea services that link north Cyprus, a breakaway unrecognised Turkish Cypriot state, with Turkey daily.
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman told CNN Turk he was "deeply saddened" by the incident.
Video footage showed people in red life jackets sitting or standing on top of the overturned vessel as authorities scrambled coastguard and private vessels for assistance to bring them to shore.
“The vessel had been moving very badly. It was constantly lifting out of the water and slamming back down. It was shaking violently,” survivor Efe Multici told CNN Turk.
“Three or four minutes later, the ferry leapt high into the air, then came crashing down. The front left side burst open and water started pouring in.”
Turkish Cypriot authorities said the captain of the vessel and seven crew had been detained for questioning. By late afternoon, the ship had sank, settling on the seabed at a depth of 514 metres. Divers from Turkey would be assisting the search, they said.
"If there are people still inside the vessel, reaching them does not appear easy at the moment," Erhurman said. "Efforts are being made using other technologies to reach them as well."
MAJOR RESCUE OPERATION UNDERWAY
Cyprus was battered by fierce storms on Saturday, with one person dying after his sailboat crashed onto rocks in rough seas in the island's south-east.
Asked about the cause of the capsize, Erhurman noted the storm on Saturday, but said the weather on Sunday was considered suitable for travel.
"There is a great sense of shock here. This is not something we have experienced before," he said, speaking from the crisis centre set up in the area.
North Cyprus is a breakaway state recognised only by Turkey, which supports the area economically and militarily.
In Turkey, President Tayyip Erdogan extended his condolences to the families affected. Expressions of condolence and offers of assistance also came from Cyprus's internationally recognised government. Cyprus has been split down Greek and Turkish Cypriot lines since 1974, when Turkey invaded in response to a brief Greek inspired coup.
"Efforts to reach those who are still missing continue uninterrupted," Erdogan said. "God willing, we hope to receive positive news from these efforts."
The Turkish Cypriot Interior Ministry said the passenger ferry 'FILOJET' was carrying 259 passengers and eight crew, and it began taking on water about four nautical miles off Kyrenia while sailing from Kyrenia to Tasucu in Turkey.
Four Turkish Cypriot coast guard vessels and a civilian passenger boat were deployed to the scene, along with five Turkish coastguard vessels and two helicopters, the ministry statement said.
(Reporting by Daren Butler and Michele Kambas; Editing by Alexandra Hudson, Jan Harvey and Christina Fincher)
Follow the story
