At least eight people have died after a ferry carrying nearly 270 passengers and crew overturned off the coast of northern Cyprus, Turkish media reported on Sunday.
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said 237 people had been rescued, while authorities continued searching for 22 others who remained unaccounted for.
According to Üstel, the ferry encountered adverse weather shortly after leaving port and began taking on water about 15 minutes into the journey.
A distress call was made soon afterward.
Police have detained eight people, including the vessel’s captain, as part of an investigation into the incident, Üstel said.
However, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman disputed suggestions that poor weather was responsible, saying conditions “were not bad” and warning against speculation over the cause of the accident.
Erhürman said the ferry sank in waters about 1,640 feet deep, making the search operation more difficult.
The catamaran-style vessel was travelling from Kyrenia, also known as Girne, in northern Cyprus, to the Turkish port of Taşucu in Mersin province.
Kyrenia Mayor Murat Şenkul said the ferry was operated by Filo Denizcilik and sank off Diana beach along the northern coast.
The vessel reportedly began taking in water about four nautical miles from the coast.
Footage from the scene showed passengers wearing life jackets as they waited for rescue on and around the overturned ferry.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed condolences to the victims and said his government was working with authorities in Northern Cyprus on the rescue operation.
“We hope we’ll be receiving positive news,” Erdoğan said Sunday in Ankara while speaking at the graduation ceremony of the Turkish Military Academy.
Meanwhile, Cyprus government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the government had offered to assist the search and rescue operation with all available resources.
“In these trying times, our thoughts are with those who lost their lives, those who were injured and all those who are living this tragedy,” Letymbiotis said.
“At such times, the protection of human life is paramount.”
The accident occurred in the waters off the divided island of Cyprus, which has remained split along ethnic lines since Turkey invaded in 1974.
Northern Cyprus declared independence in 1983, but Turkey remains the only country to recognise it.
