A passenger ferry carrying 267 people sank after taking on water about 4 miles (6.44 kilometers) off the coast of Girne (Kyrenia) in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Sunday afternoon, prompting a large-scale rescue operation, according to TRNC Minister of Public Works and Transport Erhan Arıklı, APA's Türkiye bureau reports.
The catamaran-type passenger vessel had departed Girne for Mersin’s Taşucu district in southern Türkiye when it began taking on water shortly after departure, Arıklı said.
The vessel later capsized, while TRNC Coast Guard Command and Civil Defense teams were dispatched to the scene. Coast guard boats, helicopters and civilian boats and vessels in the area took part in the rescue operation as passengers were evacuated and transferred to safer locations.
Arıklı said coast guard teams reached the scene approximately 15 to 20 minutes after receiving the report.
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