Survivors of the Filo Jet disaster recount a harrowing fight for survival after the vessel capsized shortly after leaving Kyrenia.
Survivors recount the horror experienced on Filo Jet: 'It turned into a struggle for survival in an instant.'
Shortly after departing from Kyrenia to Taşucu, the Filo Jet capsized, and the accounts of the passengers who survived reveal striking details about the first minutes of the disaster. Passengers reported that the ship was hitting the waves violently, that they noticed water entering, and alerted the crew, and then claimed that damage occurred in the front section of the ship, leading to significant chaos during the evacuation.
On August 30, the Filo Jet, which departed from the port of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in Kyrenia, found itself in the midst of a major maritime accident shortly after the voyage began, with 259 passengers and 8 crew members on board.
According to current official data, out of the 267 people on the ship, 241 were rescued, 8 lost their lives, and search efforts are ongoing for 18 individuals. It has been reported that the Filo Jet completely sank and settled on the seabed at a depth of approximately 514 meters.
One of the most important pieces of information regarding the development of the disaster comes from the statements of the surviving passengers.
'The ship was constantly rising and hitting the sea.'
Efe Mültici, a survivor of the accident, explained to CNN Türk that the ship was behaving unusually during the initial part of the journey.
According to Mültici’s account, the catamaran was continuously rising over the waves and then hitting the water violently. In a statement relayed to Reuters, the passenger noted that the ship was shaking violently, and after a few minutes, there was a very hard impact, causing the front left section to open and water to start entering.
Mültici also claimed that passengers had previously warned about the condition of the ship. In his statements reported by the Turkish press, he indicated that the ship was bouncing severely from the very first moment and that when passengers noticed water entering, they communicated the situation to the crew.
Describing the events on the ship, Mültici mentioned that some individuals who could not find life jackets had to jump directly into the sea. He characterized the experience as a 'struggle for survival.'
'We warned them that this weather is not suitable for sailing.'
Another survivor, Ümit Saygılı, claimed that passengers warned the crew about the weather and sea conditions while the ship was still moving forward.
Saygılı recounted that the ship hit the sea hard, and then water ingress began to be observed inside. According to his statement, the crew initially responded that the situation was not serious.
According to Saygılı, shortly thereafter, the movements of the ship intensified, and there were breakages in the seats. Then, serious damage occurred at the front, and as the ship attempted to turn back, water began to enter through the windows as well.
The passenger described how he managed to get outside and jumped into the sea after putting on a life jacket he found.
These statements raise important questions for the investigation regarding exactly where the first water ingress began and when the crew decided to turn back.
'We said the ship is taking on water.'
One of the common points among the passengers is the claim that they noticed the ship was taking on water before the accident.
In the statements given by the survivors to various media outlets, it is alleged that they warned the crew about the water ingress, but initially, the situation was not perceived as unusual.
One of these claims includes Saygılı stating that the crew responded to them that the situation would not pose a problem.
However, it should be particularly noted that these statements are currently accounts from the survivors and have not yet been verified by a technical investigation. An official accident investigation report regarding why the Filo Jet took on water has not yet been released.
İbrahim Canbolat: 'Everyone saved themselves with their own struggle.'
Survivor İbrahim Canbolat made more serious allegations regarding the events during the evacuation.
Canbolat stated that the ship began to take on more water, and after the damage occurred on the side, the ship started to tilt rapidly.
According to the passenger, a crew member told the passengers to go to the back of the ship, but there was no organized distribution of life jackets.
Canbolat alleged that people largely tried to escape from the ship on their own. He was later rescued by a civilian boat that arrived in the area.
Canbolat also explained that the situation became much more dangerous for children, the elderly, and passengers who could not swim.
The life jacket debate is one of the important topics of the investigation.
Another recurring claim in the survivors' statements is related to life jackets.
Some passengers reported that they could not immediately access a sufficient number of life jackets and that people searched for jackets on their own while the ship was tilting. It was also suggested that some jumped into the water without life jackets.
Following these accounts, the number, location, and distribution of life-saving equipment on the ship during the evacuation have also become issues that the investigation needs to address.
The accessibility of life jackets, evacuation procedures, and the distribution of crew duties in emergencies are fundamental elements of maritime safety on international passenger ships.
'The front opened, and water began to fill inside.'
When the statements of different survivors are compiled, a similar picture emerges regarding the development of the accident.
Passengers describe the ship making violent movements at high speed over the waves, followed by significant damage occurring at the front. According to Efe Mültici’s account, particularly after the opening that occurred in the front left section, water ingress accelerated.
However, there is an important distinction regarding the expressions used in the media such as 'exploded' or 'there was an explosion.'
While some survivors used the phrase 'the front exploded,' current information does not confirm that there was a real explosion caused by an explosive or engine on the ship. It is also possible that the sound described by the passengers resulted from structural damage to the hull or the ship hitting the water violently.
Therefore, it is not accurate to characterize the cause of the accident as an 'explosion' at this stage. The exact cause can only be determined through technical investigations.
Some passengers jumped into the sea, while others climbed onto the overturned hull.
As the Filo Jet began to tilt, a struggle for evacuation began on the ship.
Footage shows many people climbing onto the hull of the capsized catamaran with life jackets. Some passengers jumped directly into the sea before the ship completely turned over.
In addition to coast guard units, civilian boats in the area also began to head to the accident site to collect passengers who had fallen into the sea.
Rescue helicopters later joined the operation.
Allegations of the captain abandoning the ship early.
Some survivors also made allegations regarding the behavior of the ship's captain and crew during the evacuation.
Some witnesses claimed that the captain left the ship before the passengers were fully evacuated. The Guardian reported that based on local media and witness accounts, there were claims that the captain was among the first to leave the ship.
However, this has not yet been confirmed by a court or official accident investigation authorities.
Following the accident, judicial proceedings were initiated against the captain and 7 crew members. Authorities are investigating not only why the ship sank but also whether the evacuation procedures were correctly implemented.
The claim of 'locked doors' is also under investigation.
New allegations reported in the local press on August 31 include passenger accounts stating that some exits or doors were closed or locked.
It has been noted that these claims are also included in the scope of the investigation. However, there is currently no verified technical determination regarding whether the doors were actually locked, where they were located, and whether they impeded the evacuation of passengers.
Therefore, it is still too early to make a definitive statement such as 'passengers could not escape due to locked doors.'
Passenger statements may change the course of the investigation.
The accounts of the survivors converge on three important points: the ship hitting the waves violently from the beginning of the voyage, passengers noticing water ingress, and then the acceleration of water ingress due to the damage at the front.
However, there are also serious allegations regarding the distribution of life jackets, the organization of the evacuation, and the crew's response to the accident.
Which of these constitute real negligence can only be determined through the investigation.
The technical cause of the accident; the examination of the ship's hull structure, maintenance and classification records, weather and sea conditions, machinery and navigation records, and the analysis of the voyage data recorder (VDR) will clarify the situation.
The wreck of the Filo Jet being found at a depth of 514 meters complicates the technical examination significantly.
Witnesses of the disaster converge on the same sentence: 'It happened very quickly.'
One of the most striking common points in the different statements of the survivors is that the incident developed in an extremely short time.
The journey began as a normal Kyrenia-Taşucu voyage. Within minutes, the ship's violent movements led to water ingress, water ingress led to panic, and panic turned into a disaster in which hundreds of people fought for their lives in the sea.
Now, the fundamental question the investigation needs to answer is: If the danger noticed by the passengers had been detected earlier and necessary precautions had been taken, could the Filo Jet have turned back or could the evacuation have been carried out more orderly?
The answer to this question will emerge from the comparison of the survivors' statements with the technical findings obtained from the wreck and the ship's records.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
