Authorities have recovered the body of one of 20 people missing after a passenger ferry capsized off Girne (Kyrenia) on Sunday in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said on Thursday.
Speaking at a news conference, Üstel said the body, believed to belong to a man in his 50s, was taken to Nicosia’s Burhan Nalbantoğlu Hospital for identification.
Search-and-rescue operations are continuing for the remaining missing passengers.
The high-speed passenger vessel Filo Jet, which operates between Girne Port in the TRNC and Taşucu Port in Mersin, southern Türkiye, began taking on water from its bow shortly after departing Girne around noon Sunday.
The vessel capsized while attempting to return to Girne Port.
A total of 241 people were rescued, while the bodies of 8 people were previously recovered. With the latest recovery, authorities have located 9 bodies, while 19 people remain missing.
The wreckage of the vessel is located at a depth of approximately 550 meters (1,804 feet) off the coast of Girne, according to authorities.
Search teams continue efforts to locate the missing passengers.
