Trial continues over Kyrenia ferry sinking as authorities confirm no bodies remain in wreck

A ferry sank off the coast of Kyrenia on August 30, leading to a legal trial against nine individuals accused of causing death by negligence. During Friday's proceedings at the Kyrenia district court, it emerged that the vessel's captain, Mustafa Oz, and the operating company, Filo Denizcilik, failed to inform Turkish Cypriot authorities about structural repairs made to the ship's side on June 17, following the discovery of a crack. These unauthorized repairs occurred only 15 days after the vessel was certified as seaworthy by the Istanbul-based firm Turk Loydu.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot 'prime minister' Unal Ustel announced on Friday that exhaustive searches of the wreckage have concluded, with no remaining bodies found inside the vessel. While 15 deaths have been confirmed, 13 people remain missing 26 days after the disaster. Search operations are continuing across the air, land, and sea. Furthermore, authorities successfully recovered the ferry's black box on Friday, which has been handed over to the police for forensic analysis to assist with the ongoing investigation.