The wreck of the Filo Jet, which capsized off Northern Cyprus, has been located. Search efforts continue for 20 missing persons.
The wreck of the catamaran passenger ship named Filo Jet, which capsized on August 30th off the coast of Kyrenia in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), has been reached. TRNC President Tufan Erhürman announced that the search and imaging efforts have located the vessel, and the search operations for the 20 missing individuals will continue on a 24-hour basis.
Filo Jet, which was on a voyage from Kyrenia to Taşucu Port in Mersin, capsized shortly after its departure on August 30th due to taking on water. There were a total of 267 people on board, including 259 passengers and 8 crew members. So far, it has been reported that 8 individuals have lost their lives, while 20 are still missing.
Following the accident, search and rescue operations intensified with underwater scans of the area where the ship was located. President Erhürman announced the day before yesterday that the object believed to be the sunken ship was detected at a depth of approximately 550 meters.
The TCG Işın ship, sent from Turkey to the region, participated in the operations with remotely operated systems capable of searching in deep waters, and today the TCG Alemdar also arrived in the area. Erhürman stated that the TCG Alemdar has the same technology as the TCG Işın and confirmed that the ship has been reached.
After the wreck was identified, the focus of the operations shifted to locating the missing individuals who may be found inside or around the ship. Erhürman indicated that imaging and search efforts would continue uninterrupted for 24 hours.
An investigation into the exact cause of the accident is also ongoing. Initial statements indicated that the ship began to take on water during the voyage and subsequently capsized, but no definitive findings regarding the cause of the incident have yet been established.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
