Death Toll Rises To 12 In Cyprus Ferry Disaster, 16 Still Missing

ISTANBUL, Sept 4 (Bernama-dpa) -- The death toll from the weekend's ferry disaster off northern Cyprus has climbed to 12, after rescue teams recovered two more bodies overnight, Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said on Friday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

Neither of the recovered bodies, both of which were women, had yet been formally identified, Üstel said.

That brings the number of bodies recovered from the wreck, at a depth of roughly 554 metres, to four, with 16 people still unaccounted for, Üstel told reporters in Kyrenia, also known by its Turkish name Girne.

The ferry Filo Jet capsized on Sunday shortly after leaving the northern Cypriot port of Kyrenia, bound for the southern Turkish coast.

For reasons that remain unclear, water entered the catamaran, which filled up, listed to one side and eventually sank a few kilometres off the Cypriot coast. Of those aboard, 239 were rescued.

A specialist team from Turkiye located the wreck on Wednesday using remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs).

The Turkish navy's submarine rescue ship TCG Alemdar has since joined sister vessel TCG Işın in the search. Üstel said the Alemdar's crew was continuing efforts "until we reach every last person".

He pledged those responsible for the sinking would face legal consequences.

Several officials, including port staff and the transport minister, have already been suspended. The ship's captain and several crew members were arrested in the days after the sinking.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, following a coup by Greek Cypriot nationalists and a subsequent Turkish military intervention. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was proclaimed in 1983. It is recognised only by Turkiye.

-- BERNAMA-dpa