Death toll rises to 12 in TRNC ship sinking off Girne

Recovery from 554 meters

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Unal Ustel announced Friday that the death toll from a passenger ship that sank off Girne last week has climbed to 12 after dive teams recovered two additional bodies from the deep-water wreck site. Ustel told reporters at Girne Port that the two latest victims were female passengers, bringing the number of recovered remains to four while 16 people remain unaccounted for since the vessel went down Sunday while traveling toward Tasucu, Türkiye.

Round-the-clock operation

The search is being conducted at a depth of 554 meters — a level too deep for human divers — forcing crews to rely entirely on remotely operated vehicles, Ustel said. Turkish Navy vessels TCG Isin and TCG Alemdar have joined the effort, operating continuously to locate the remaining missing passengers.

"The wreck is at a depth of 554 meters, and people cannot descend to that depth to conduct search operations. The work is being carried out entirely by robots," Ustel said. He added that Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz visited the island Thursday to convey condolences from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and thank naval personnel for their efforts alongside Peace Forces Command and Security Forces Command teams.

Parliamentary inquiry vowed

Ustel pledged that authorities would hold accountable everyone responsible for the accident, "from the lowest level to the highest level," as the government moves to launch a formal investigation. The TRNC's Republic Assembly is scheduled to reconvene in the first week of October, where lawmakers will consider the motion.

"Before we begin the normal opening of the Republic Assembly, we, as the government, are submitting a motion to our Republic Assembly to investigate this accident," Ustel said. He told families gathered at the port that the extreme depth means the operation will require significant time, but stressed that crews would continue until the last person was located.

Identification process

"To turn hope into reality, our Naval Forces continue their work 24/7," Ustel said, acknowledging that authorities cannot provide a precise timetable for completing the search due to the technical challenges involved. The two bodies recovered during the latest operation were transported to Burhan Nalbantoglu State Hospital in Lefkosa for identification procedures.

Ustel said officials will notify families once the identification process is completed, adding that he would provide another public update later Friday. The vessel had been traveling from Girne Port toward Tasucu when it sank, prompting the massive search operation.