- Passenger ferry capsizes off Cyprus, leaving at least eight dead and 20 missing.
- Among the missing are siblings Miray Bicer, 12, and Mehmet Asaf Bicer, 6, who were in Cyprus with their family.
- Their mother, Bicer, described the moment she lost her daughter: "She was saying, 'Don't let go,'" Bicer told Reuters. "And I didn't let go of my daughter. I swear, I didn't let her go."
- A suitcase fell on Bicer during the chaos, causing her to lose her grip on the girl. She managed to grab her daughter's foot, but oil from the vessel made the area slippery and the child slipped away.
A ferry carrying 267 passengers capsized off the northern coast of Cyprus, leading to at least eight confirmed deaths and 20 individuals still missing. The vessel was en route from Kyrenia to the Turkish port of Tasucu when it began taking on water shortly after departure on Sunday.
Among the missing are siblings Miray Bicer, 12, and Mehmet Asaf Bicer, 6, who were traveling with their family. Their mother recounted a harrowing moment, stating, "She was saying, 'Don't let go,'" but a suitcase fell on her, causing her to lose grip on her daughter. "I swear, I didn't let her go," she added, describing how oil made the area slippery, leading to the child's slip away.234
Search efforts have been complicated by the wreckage's location, which lies in waters over 1,600 feet deep. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman announced that a specialized ship is expected to assist with the recovery efforts. Officials confirmed the number of missing individuals increased from 18 to 20 after reviewing passenger records against the list of survivors. Prime Minister Unal Ustel noted that the ferry encountered adverse weather shortly after leaving port, while Erhurman cautioned against speculation regarding the cause of the sinking, stating that conditions "were not bad."
Nine individuals connected to the ferry's operations have been detained as investigations continue.
“Among the missing are siblings Miray Bicer, 12, and Mehmet Asaf Bicer, 6, who were in Cyprus with their family. Their mother told Reuters that a suitcase fell on her and oil made the deck slippery, causing her to lose hold of her daughter despite grabbing her foot.”
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