Capsized Cyprus ferry disaster kills at least eight, as search for survivors continues

An anxious wait for news continues in northern Cyprus with nearly 20 people still missing after a ferry capsized.

Eight people are known to have died, with divers still scouring the deep waters for any last survivors.

The ferry had 267 people on board when it took on water and flipped over just off the port city of Kyrenia on Sunday.

Survivors were rescued by coastguard and passing boats as they clung to the overturned hull.

The ship has now sunk to the seabed, more than 500 metres below the surface.

It is unknown whether anyone remains trapped inside the hull.

"We've been waiting since ​the morning, for 12 hours or maybe more," said Naif Ezer, one of those waiting outside the port for news of the missing passengers.

Of three friends ⁠traveling home to see families, one had been found but the other two were ‌still missing, he added.

Some of those waiting sat and silently wept, while others scrolled mobile phones for updates.

Many of the victims and survivors are believed to be Turkish nationals who took the ferry back to their country, Tumay Tugyan, a local journalist, told Sky News.

Authorities have detained ​the captain and crew of the vessel for questioning over what happened.

Survivors' accounts have suggested the boat set off in "stormy weather", Tugyan said.

She added: "As soon as they departed they got into a storm. All of the passengers asked them to go back but they didn't."

"The ⁠vessel had been moving very badly," survivor Efe Multici told CNN Turk.

"It was constantly lifting out of the water and slamming back down. It was shaking violently."

He said, shortly after that, the ferry "leapt high into the air, then came crashing down".

"The front left side burst open and water started pouring in," Multici added.

The government of the self-styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has declared a three-day mourning period over the accident, which began on Monday.

(c) Sky News 2026: Capsized Cyprus ferry disaster kills at least eight, as search for survivors continues