A single person remains in hospital six days after a passenger ferry sank off the coast of Kyrenia, Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel said on Sunday, confirming that 131 of the 132 people who were originally hospitalised after the accident have now been discharged.

“As of September 5, 131 of the 132 victims admitted to our public and university hospitals have been discharged. Only one victim remains an inpatient, and their health is rapidly improving. There are no longer any victims in intensive care,” he said.

He also confirmed that as of Saturday evening, the number of people confirmed to have died as a result of the accident stands at 13, with 15 people remaining unaccounted for.

“Search-and-rescue efforts to find the 15 missing people are continuing uninterrupted, seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” he said.

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He also moved to praise the efforts made by healthcare workers across the north in the accident’s aftermath, saying that “from the very first minutes of the maritime accident which occurred off the coast of Kyrenia six days ago, our healthcare workers mobilised with a great sense of urgency”.

“A total of 21 ambulances and 63 personnel were rapidly dispatched to the port, and 25 doctors and 30 nurses began providing first aid at the scene. Our state, university, military, and private hospitals were simultaneously put on alert,” he said.

He added that all 239 survivors were taken to hospitals across the north after being brought ashore, with four people initially being admitted to intensive care units.

“Throughout the process, 139 doctors and around 200 nurses and healthcare workers have been on duty … We wholeheartedly thank all the doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, psychologists, ambulance teams, and all healthcare institutions in our state, private, and university hospitals who have served with great dedication form the first moment until today,” he said. 

Earlier, a selection of members of the families of the 15 people who remain missing after last week’s accident were taken from the new port of Kyrenia, where they have been waiting for news of their loved ones, to give DNA samples, so as to facilitate the identification of the bodies which remain to be brought to shore.

Ustel said of this that “to ensure that the identities of the recovered remains are established with the utmost accuracy and certainty, leaving no room for doubt, DNA analysis will be utilised alongside visual identification and other identification methods”.

“Our goal is to establish the identity of each individual through scientific and definitive data and to provide accurate information to their families,” he said.