Newsroom
Six-year-old Mehmet Asaf Bicer and his 14-year-old sister, Saliha Miray Biçer, are among the 18 people still missing after the FILOJET ferry sank off Kyrenia, leaving their parents waiting at the port for news no family should ever have to face.
The children were travelling with three other members of their family when the ferry capsized shortly after leaving Kyrenia for Tasucu in southern Turkey. Three members of the five-person family were rescued, but Mehmet and Saliha have not been found.
Their father, Hayri Bicer, was seen trying to stop ambulances as they left Kyrenia port on Monday, desperate to learn whether one of his children might be inside.
“Are they taking my child?” he shouted as he attempted to approach the vehicles. He was reportedly prevented from entering the restricted port area.
“My heart is burning. My children are missing,” he said.
For the families gathered outside the port, every ambulance, rescue boat and movement behind the gates brings the same mixture of fear and hope. They are waiting for names, hospital lists or any small piece of information that could tell them their loved ones have survived.
The children’s mother also appealed for help from trade union representatives in the occupied north, asking authorities to do everything possible to find them.
“My son is 6 years old and weighs 20 kilos. He cannot protect himself,” she said. “My daughter’s face never leaves my mind.”
Her words have put two young faces behind a casualty figure that has changed repeatedly since Sunday’s disaster.
"YÜREĞİM YANIYOR, EVLATLARIM GİTTİ"
— Özgür Gazete Kıbrıs (@CyprusNewspaper) August 31, 2026
Gemi faciasında çocukları Saliha Miray Biçer ve Mehmet Asaf Biçer'den haber alamayan acılı baba, limandan çıkan ambulansları durdurmak istedi.
"Evladımı mı götürüyor" diyen baba limana alınmadı.
Kayıplarının akibetlerini merak eden endişeli… pic.twitter.com/4nlfsSNphQ
Search continues for 18 people
At least eight people have been confirmed dead and 18 remain missing, while 241 passengers and crew members were rescued, according to the latest figures reported by Reuters.
The FILOJET was carrying 267 people when it began taking on water shortly after leaving Kyrenia. Survivors said the catamaran began moving violently before slamming hard against the surface of the sea, damaging its bow and allowing water to rush inside.
Rescue footage showed passengers wearing life jackets and clinging to the overturned hull before the ferry sank. The wreck now lies at a depth of about 514 metres, making it extremely difficult to determine whether anyone remains trapped inside. Turkish divers and specialised teams have joined the continuing search.
The ferry’s captain and seven crew members were among nine people initially detained as investigators examine the vessel’s condition, its clearance to leave port and what happened during the first minutes of the journey.
All eight victims have now been identified as Nuray Zeytun, Nihat Balyemez, Reyhan Verim, Gülcan Gürel, Hüseyin Özdemir, Fahri Ateş, Nisa Toker and Nurcan Haliloglu. Zeytun’s body has been handed over to her family for burial in Famagusta.
Turkish Cypriot “prime minister” Unal Ustel said the port employees who authorised the FILOJET’s departure had been suspended and placed under investigation, promising that anyone found negligent or responsible would face justice. Five more people, including “Port Authority” employees and company shareholders, have since been brought before the Kyrenia “District Court.” Investigators are also examining reports that the vessel was damaged in an accident in Turkey 12 years ago and later repaired.
