A total of eight people are now confirmed to have died as a result of the sinking of a passenger ferry off the coast of Kyrenia, the north’s ‘transport minister’ Erhan Arikli said on Sunday evening.

He said rescuers are still attempting to locate 17 people who remain unaccounted for, with the remaining 242 people who were on board the boat when it set sail from Kyrenia at midday now having been successfully brought ashore.

That notwithstanding, it is understood that dozens of people have been taken to hospitals both in Kyrenia and in northern Nicosia after having been taken ashore, with a fleet of ambulances having been deployed to Kyrenia after the boat originally capsized.

Arikli also said that after capsizing, the boat sank to a depth of 514 metres beneath the surface of the sea, and added that “within a few hours”, a fully-equipped boat and divers from Turkey will arrive in the area to conduct searches at the bottom of the sea.

Ambulances driving away from the Kyrenia port [Photo: Dogan Samer]

He also pushed back on suggestions in the aftermath of its sinking that the ferry was not seaworthy, saying that it had undergone an inspection “just two months ago”, and that that inspection was carried out by a “reliable company”.

However, he did acknowledge that the boat had “taken on water very quickly and sunk”, and said that the boat’s black box “must be recovered” so that “we can understand why the boat sank”.

Throughout the afternoon, condolences have been offered to those who lost loved ones, with Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis expressing “deep sadness” over the incident.

“Our thoughts are with those who lost their lives, with the injured, with all those experiencing this tragedy, and with their families, in these extremely difficult times,” he said.

People and ambulances gathered in Kyrenia [Photo: Dogan Samer]

He added that “the Republic of Cyprus, from the very beginning, has declared its full readiness to assist immediately in the search and rescue efforts, making every necessary means available”.

“At such a time, the protection of human life is above all else,” he said.

Likewise, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered his condolences, and said that “immediately after the accident, we launched extensive search and rescue operations in cooperation with the authorities of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”.

“We are closely following the process, in which we have mobilised all the resources of our state. I offer my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident and wish a speedy recovery to those who were rescued,” he said.

The ferry on its side [Photo: Yeniduzen]

United Nations special representative in Cyprus Khassim Diagne, too, said he was “deeply saddened” by the ship’s sinking, and offered his condolences “to the Turkish Cypriot authorities and to the families and loved ones of those affected”.

He added that the UN’s “thoughts are with all those impacted by this tragedy and with the rescue teams continuing their efforts to save lives”.

The majority of the search-and-rescue operation thus far has been led by Turkey, with the country’s Anadolu Agency reporting that five Turkish coastguard boats and two coastguard helicopters, as well as six naval vessels were dispatched to the area to aid the four Turkish Cypriot coastguard boats which had commenced the operation.

Meanwhile, Larnaca’s joint rescue coordination centre (JRCC) had said it is “ready” to help the search-and-rescue operation launched in the north following the ship’s capsize, but has thus far not received a response.

Ferry passengers being driven away from Kyrenia on a bus [Photo: Dogan Samer]

According to the Cyprus News Agency, the JRCC contacted the United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp) to request “that it be conveyed to the Turkish Cypriot side that the Republic of Cyprus is ready, if necessary” to offer assistance “with the aeronautical search and rescue assets”.

The Cyprus News Agency also reported that President Nikos Christodoulides instructed his chief negotiator Menelaos Menelaou to “request that there be communication” with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, “precisely to make clear the Republic of Cyprus’ readiness to provide all possible assistance”.

“When human lives are in danger, we contribute with every available means. The Republic of Cyprus has the means, the operational capability, and, above all, the readiness to assist immediately,” a government official was quoted as having said.

The boat capsized around two kilometres north of the coast of Kyrenia, with Turkish Cypriot coastguard boats being deployed to the scene, with a rescue helicopter being sent as backup, and various other boats setting sail from Kyrenia to aid in the rescue efforts.

The ferry had capsized shortly after leaving the new port of Kyrenia at around 12.10pm, having been en route to the Turkish port of Tasucu.