The “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” (“TRNC”) has declared three days of national mourning, from August 31 until sunset on September 2, 2026, following the capsizing of a passenger ship travelling between Kyrenia (Girne) and Taşucu off the Kyrenia coast. The “Council of Ministers” made the decision over the loss of life caused by the disaster.
Of the 267 passengers who were on board, 249 have so far been reached: 241 were rescued alive and eight died. Search and rescue teams are continuing efforts to find the remaining 18 missing people.
The identities of four of the eight victims have been confirmed, while efforts to identify the remaining four are ongoing.
Search and rescue operations
Search efforts are continuing uninterrupted through the night, with four vessels equipped with night-vision capability and two helicopters working the area, supported by drones deployed from Turkey operating on a 24-hour basis.
Turkey has committed three aircraft, four UAVs, six helicopters, four Coast Guard boats, a patrol boat, a frigate and a patrol vessel to the operation. The “TRNC” has contributed four Coast Guard boats, two helicopters, a patrol boat and a patrol vessel, alongside Civil Defence and police teams.
Additional ship from Turkey
“Tourism Minister” Fikri Ataoğlu said a further ship from Turkey is expected to join the search and will likely reach the area on Tuesday, allowing search teams to attempt to reach the missing at depths of around 500 metres. He said search efforts would continue the following morning, and that rescue teams had reached the scene around midday after the incident occurred. Ataoğlu attributed the rescue of 249 people to the intensive efforts of citizens and rescue teams alongside the eight deaths.
Hospital update
“Health Minister” Hakan Dinçyürek visited Dr. Burhan Nalbantoğlu State Hospital in Nicosia early on Monday morning to give an update on the injured. He said all necessary precautions had been taken from the first moment of the incident, with the injured gathered at designated centres to avoid disrupting health services. Dinçyürek said patients who had completed treatment were being discharged gradually, that the number of patients still receiving inpatient care had fallen sharply compared with the first hours after the accident, and that no patients remained in critical condition.
(Information from Yeni Duzen and Kibris Postasi)
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