Autopsies on four of the seven victims recovered from the sea after their boat capsized off Cape Greco confirmed they had drowned, sources said on Wednesday. The examinations were conducted on Tuesday, and further samples will be sent for toxicological, histopathological and other tests.

The Cyprus News Agency reported that coroners Angeliki Papetta and Orthodoxos Orthodoxou carried out the autopsies at Nicosia General Hospital. Examinations on the remaining three bodies are scheduled for Wednesday.

Efforts to locate more survivors continued into Tuesday night but were unsuccessful. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) resumed its search on Wednesday.

Two survivors were pulled from the sea on Monday after the boat, believed to be carrying around 20 Syrians, was discovered about 25 nautical miles off Cape Greco in international waters.

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Investigators are now examining the backpacks of the seven victims and speaking to the survivors to gather more details about the tragedy.

Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said on Tuesday that it was becoming increasingly unlikely that more survivors would be found. Palmas also defended the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre’s (JRCC) actions.
“An NGO contacted JRCC on March 16 to report a boat in the sea,” Palmas said.

“Immediately, a port police vessel, a National Guard drone and a helicopter went to the area to determine if the information was right, however the search did not produce anything,” he said.

The defence minister added that “at around 1pm on Monday, March 17, in the framework of a routine port police and National Guard navy patrol in international waters, a person in the sea was found by chance.”

Palmas visited the Larnaca JRCC on Wednesday and addressed the annual maritime activity event, assuring that his support to the centre and all involved services was continuous.

“Cyprus, due to its small size, does not have the capacity to develop services that are totally self-sufficient in staff and means and for this reason everyone’s cooperation was necessary,” he said.

Palmas added that the JRCC, “beyond serving human life, is a model centre in Europe and a strong tool for promoting Cyprus’ national interests.”

The survivor was brought to safety and another survivor was found nearby an hour and a quarter later.
The precise number of people on board has not yet been verified and may be between 20 and 25.
There are also speculations regarding the age of the people, who were most likely between 25 and 30 years of age and probably all men.

Earlier on Tuesday, deputy commander of the JRRC, admiral George Economou referred to “a gigantic operation” to find more survivors.

A helicopter, boats and a drone from the National Guard, a helicopter and boats from the coast guard and marine police, Okypy nurses from the Ambulance Service and police personnel were operating in the area under the coordination of the JRRC. Helicopters from the 84 Squadron Akrotiri British base and passing commercial vessels were also participating in the operation.