Newsroom
Pieces believed to be from the catamaran that sank off Kyrenia are now washing ashore as the sea begins returning fragments of a disaster that has left eight people dead and 20 others missing.
Video published by the Turkish Cypriot newspaper Yeni Bakis and circulating on social media appears to show parts of the vessel floating near a beach in Lapithos.
Fishermen have also reportedly found various objects in the Vasileia-Orga sea area, further west along the northern coast. The items have not yet been officially confirmed as belonging to the vessel or its passengers.
The discoveries came as Turkish Cypriot authorities announced Wednesday that specialist crews had located the wreck on the seabed off Kyrenia.
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said the Turkish underwater operations and rescue ship TTCG Alemdar had arrived to join the search alongside the TCG Isın.
“We have reached the vessel,” Erhurman said in a social media post, adding that search and detection operations were continuing around the clock and would remain uninterrupted.
On Tuesday afternoon, he said the TCG Isın had detected an object at a depth of about 550 meters that was believed to be the missing catamaran. Wednesday’s announcement appeared to confirm that the object was the wreck.
The location marks an important step in the search, but the depth will make the operation difficult. At 550 meters below the surface, the wreck lies far beyond the reach of ordinary divers, meaning crews will have to rely on remotely operated underwater equipment and specialist vessels.
The operation is focused on searching the wreck for people who may be trapped inside, as well as retrieving evidence that could help investigators understand why the vessel sank.
The catamaran was travelling from Kyrenia to Tasucu in southern Turkey when it sent an SOS signal shortly after leaving port. Authorities said 267 people, 259 passengers and eight crew members, were believed to have been on board.
Hundreds were rescued in the hours after the sinking, but the confirmed death toll has since risen to eight, with 20 people still unaccounted for.
