Debris believed to belong to the ship that sank off Kyrenia on Sunday washed ashore in Lapithos this morning.
According to a social media post by the Turkish Cypriot newspaper Yeni Bakis, the debris was reportedly found by residents on Lapithos’s coastal walkway. Separately, fishermen found various items, including clothing and shoes, in the Vasilia-Orka sea area.
Search operations for the missing entered their third consecutive 24-hour period at the wreck site today, with attention now focused on two ships sent by Ankara to the occupied areas. The TCG Işın, using an advanced sonar system and a robotic underwater vehicle, located an object at a depth of around 550 metres yesterday, believed to be the sunken ship. From today, the TCG Alemdar will also join operations. The vessel has underwater salvage technology and is expected to attempt the recovery of bodies feared to be trapped inside the ship.
The self-styled “prime minister,” Unal Ustel, said searches to locate the 20 people missing from the maritime tragedy off Kyrenia are continuing with the participation of two ships, adding that he expected news from the wreck site by evening. “We expect to have news from the ship towards the evening hours, and to reach our missing people,” he said.
