The first funeral for a victim of Sunday’s catamaran disaster off Kyrenia was held on Monday afternoon in occupied Famagusta. Nuray Zeytun Ozbiler, 59, died when the Filo Jet capsized at sea, and her burial was the first since the tragedy.
“Prime minister” Unal Ustel, Republican Turkish Party leader Sila Usar Incirli, several “ministers” and “MPs,” and relatives of the deceased attended the ceremony. Ozbiler was the mother of four children.
Bodies transferred to Turkey
Several victims’ bodies have been transferred to Turkey, where funerals will take place in the cities where they lived. The bodies of Huseyin Ozdemir and Reyhan Verim have already been moved to Mersin. Nihat Bayemez’s body was transferred to Gaziantep, where his funeral took place on Monday.
Among the victims was Fahri Ates, described by Turkish Cypriot media as a “special gendarmerie sergeant.” He was travelling with his wife and their four-year-old child, both of whom he managed to save before he himself drowned. His wife and child are being treated in hospital in the occupied north, while the rest of his family lives in occupied Tremetousia.
Deputy minister visits injured for second day
Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Haci Ali Ozel, in the north for a second day, visited the crisis management office in Kyrenia on Sunday, where he was briefed on the situation by “prime minister” Ustel, “health minister” Hakan Dincyurek and others.
Ozel also visited Turkish citizens being treated in hospitals across the north and spoke with their relatives. He said efforts were continuing to meet the needs of victims and other Turkish citizens affected, to arrange their transport back to Turkey, and that Turkey stood ready to provide any further support needed.
Search continues for second night
Search operations continued for a second consecutive night into Monday, involving eight ships, nine boats, one aircraft, seven helicopters and five drones. A specialised search vessel capable of operating at depths of up to 1,000 metres was due to arrive from Turkey on Monday, reinforcing the search effort, Ustel had announced on Sunday.
Sea crossings between the north and Turkey resumed on Monday through the Akguler company, after Filo Jet halted its own services entirely following the disaster. Separately, the private airline Pegasus added four extra flights to its daily schedule, with subsidised ticket prices, to meet demand for travel between Turkey and the north.
Investigation into cause continues
The search for the Filo Jet’s “black box” is ongoing, as authorities work to establish the exact cause of the disaster. The vessel sank at a depth of roughly 514 metres, significantly complicating recovery efforts. Authorities are examining all data relating to the ship’s condition, the weather conditions at the time, and the decisions taken before it set sail.
Eight crew members, including the captain, along with one further man, have been arrested as part of the investigation.
The Filo Jet was sailing from occupied Kyrenia to the port of Taşucu in Mersin, Turkey, carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members, when it capsized. The crossing had originally been scheduled for Saturday but was postponed due to severe weather. Conditions improved on Sunday, though difficult conditions still persisted when the disaster occurred.
(information from CNA, protothema.gr)
