At least eight people have died and more than a dozen remain missing after a passenger ferry carrying 267 people capsized off Northern Cyprus, triggering a major international search-and-rescue operation and an investigation that has resulted in the detention of the vessel’s captain and

The privately operated Filo Jet ferry departed from the port of Kyrenia on Sunday while travelling toward Taşucu in Turkey’s Mersin province. Shortly after leaving port, the catamaran began taking on water several kilometres from the coast.

Authorities said the ferry was carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members.

Hundreds of passengers were rescued after the vessel overturned, with dramatic scenes showing people wearing life jackets standing and sitting on the exposed hull while coastguard vessels and helicopters approached.

Other passengers were rescued directly from the surrounding water.

Search teams from Northern Cyprus and Turkey continued operating across the area as authorities attempted to locate people still unaccounted for. The operation has involved coastguard vessels, helicopters, civilian ships and additional Turkish naval resources.

The search is particularly challenging because the ferry eventually sank completely and settled on the seabed at a depth exceeding 500 metres.

That makes conventional diving operations extremely difficult and potentially requires specialised underwater technology if investigators or rescue teams need to examine the wreck itself.

Questions are now intensifying over exactly what happened during the ferry’s final minutes.

Survivors have described the vessel moving violently before suffering a heavy impact with the surface of the sea. One survivor said the front section of the vessel appeared to break open before water began entering rapidly.

Authorities have stressed that the exact cause has not yet been established.

Weather conditions are likely to form part of the investigation. Cyprus experienced severe storms the previous day, although Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said conditions on Sunday had been considered suitable for travel and urged against reaching conclusions before investigators establish the facts.

The ferry reportedly had been scheduled to travel earlier but its journey was delayed because of poor weather.

Police have detained the captain and all seven other crew members as investigators examine the circumstances surrounding the disaster.

Their detention does not establish responsibility.

Investigators are expected to examine the ferry’s structural condition, maintenance records, safety equipment, weather assessments and decisions made before departure.

They also are likely to reconstruct how quickly the crew recognised the emergency and how evacuation procedures were handled.

The disaster has caused widespread shock in Northern Cyprus, particularly around Kyrenia, a major coastal tourism destination.

Relatives gathered near hospitals and the port waiting for information about family members who had been aboard.

Turkey has deployed substantial resources toward the operation, while the internationally recognised government of Cyprus also offered assistance.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed condolences toward the families of those killed and said efforts to reach the missing would continue.

Passenger ferries provide important transportation links between Northern Cyprus and Turkey, carrying residents and tourists regularly across the eastern Mediterranean.

The scale of the accident therefore is likely to produce significant scrutiny surrounding ferry safety and operating standards.

For investigators, determining why the vessel capsized will take time.

For families waiting for news, however, the priority remains much simpler.

Hundreds of people survived.

At least eight did not.

Search teams increasingly are racing to determine the fate of those who remain missing.

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