Search operations continue after ferry sinking off Kyrenia

On Wednesday, search teams recovered the twenty-fifth body from the sea off the coast of Kyrenia, following the sinking of a passenger ferry on August 30. The vessel was en route from the new port of Kyrenia to the Turkish port of Tasucu carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members when the disaster occurred. Since the weekend, five bodies have been recovered, leaving three people still unaccounted for 38 days after the accident.

Turkish Cypriot 'prime minister' Unal Ustel confirmed that recovery operations are continuing without interruption and that forensic procedures are underway to identify the latest victims. Previously, two victims were identified as Mahmut Demir and Ozgur Gonul. Nine individuals, including the captain, Mustafa Oz, seven crew members, and a representative from the operating company, Filo Denizcilik, remain in custody. They are currently facing legal proceedings, with reports noting that a structural crack had been identified on the vessel nearly two months prior to the sinking.