Submersible joins search for 20 missing in deadly Cypriot ferry disaster

ISTANBUL (AP) — A submersible vessel joined the search Tuesday for 20 people missing for two days following a ferry disaster off the coast of Cyprus.

Eight people died when the passenger ferry Filo Jet, which was carrying 267 passengers and crew, capsized and sank after leaving Kyrenia, a port in northern Cyprus, for Tasucu, Turkey, on Sunday afternoon.

The Turkish navy ship TCG Isin arrived at the site and began work to reach the ferry, North Cypriot Prime Minister Unal Ustel said. The ferry is lying in waters that are more than 500 meters (more than 1,600 feet) deep.

“Our state is on the ground with all its resources. With the strong support of the Republic of Turkey, we will continue our search and rescue operations and technical work uninterrupted for as long as needed,” he said in comments reported by the northern Cypriot newspaper Kibris.

The Isin, a specialized search-and-rescue vessel, is equipped with a remotely operated submersible able to provide images of the sea bed and recover items with robotic arms. It can descend up to 1,000 meters (3,280 feet). Fifteen specialist divers are aboard the Isin.

“Once the wreck is identified, salvage operations will begin at a significant depth of 500 meters,” Cmdr. Ulas Cesur said aboard the Isin. “Detailed search and investigation activities will be carried out around and on the wreck using a remotely operated underwater vehicle.”

Meanwhile, three victims were buried in Turkey on Tuesday. Nisa Torer, 14, and 56-year-old Nihat Balyemez were interred in the southern city of Gaziantep, while Huseyin Ozdemir was buried in Silifke, Mersin province.

Torer had been returning from vacation with her widowed father and two brothers. Her father is among the missing. Ozdemir was attending a wedding in Cyprus with his family. His wife is missing but their two daughters were rescued.

An air and sea search for possible survivors was conducted about 7 1/2 kilometers (4 1/2 miles) off the Cypriot coast overnight on Monday. Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported that a plane, seven helicopters, five drones and 17 vessels have been involved in the search.

Survivors have said how the ferry began listing and taking on water after they heard a number of loud noises from below the decks, sparking panic on board. They told how people were trapped inside the passenger seating area as water gushed in and the ship lurched onto its side.

The ferry, a wide-bodied catamaran, had just left Kyrenia, known as Girne in Turkish, and was carrying many Turkish tourists returning from vacation.

Eight crew and a director of the ferry’s owner, Filo Denizcilik, are in custody. Five others, including Filo Denizcilik staff and port officials, are also under investigation.

Cyprus was split along ethnic lines in 1974, and Turkish Cypriots declared independence in 1983. Only Turkey recognizes the north of the island, where it maintains more than 35,000 troops.