Former Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on Tuesday suggested that the sinking of a passenger ferry off the coast of Kyrenia on Sunday may not have happened if the Cyprus problem had been solved and northern Cyprus were inside the European Union.

He said that he wished to “observe for a few days what was being done” before intervening, and pointed out that “in such situations, the number of missing persons usually decreases as time passes, but in our case, it increased”, pointing out that the official number of missing had risen from 17 on Sunday afternoon to an eventual 20 by Monday evening.

“This fact alone is enough to demonstrate just how unprepared we are for such situations. These are not merely figures, they are human lives. Issues such as the condition of a sunken vessel, the captain’s qualifications, the number of life jackets, the adequacy of inspections, and the responsibilities of politicians are now being debated,” he said.

He added that “naturally, these matters must be discussed” and that “accountability must be ensured and lessons must be learned to prevent future tragedies”, but said that “amidst all these debates, I kept wondering: if we had achieved a solution in Cyprus and were integrated into the EU and the international legal framework, would this disaster have occurred?”.

“Throughout my political career, my fundamental goal while striving for a solution, EU integration, and adherence to international law was for our society to live within an order governed by rules,” he said.

As such, he added, “asking ourselves, ‘could this boat have operated if we were in the EU?’ may guide us for the future”.

“Despite all the challenges, the primary objective must remain a solution in Cyprus and EU membership. I pray for God’s mercy upon those who lost their lives and share the grief of those left behind,” he said.

A total of eight people are confirmed to have died as a result of the ferry’s sinking shortly after midday on Sunday, with 20 more people officially having been declared as missing.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing, with aerial and maritime assets, including the Turkish deep-sea research vessel the TCG Isin, having been deployed to the area on Tuesday morning.