Cyprus ferry toll rises to 10 with 18 still missing

Survivors from the ferry that capsized off the coast earlier in the day wait at the entrance of the port in Kyrenia, in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognised only by Turkey, on August 30, 2026. [AFP]

The death toll from a ferry accident off Northern Cyprus rose to 10 Thursday as rescuers recovered another body five days after the vessel capsized, with 18 people still missing.

The FiloJet ferry was carrying 267 people when it capsized shortly after departing from Kyrenia port on the northern shore of the divided island around midday on Sunday.

Rescuers managed to pull 239 people to safety but another eight died, all of them Turks, and 20 more were unaccounted for -- although one more victim was found on Wednesday.

Another body was recovered on Thursday, Turkey's vice president Cevdet Yilmaz said on a condolence visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is only recognised by Ankara.

"The body of one more person has been recovered and brought to the surface... The number of those who have died has risen to 10," he told a news conference.

TRNC prime minister Unal Ustel, who appeared alongside him, had on Wednesday said they believed the missing had all gone down with the ship which is lying at a depth of 514 metres (1,686 feet).

Yilmaz said it was likely more bodies would be recovered in the coming days.

Since Wednesday morning, two specialist Turkish naval vessels equipped with underwater drones have been working round the clock to find the remaining victims.

Before the latest bodies were found, officials said the eight dead were all Turkish nationals, as were 18 of the 20 missing, with the last two from northern Cyprus.

They did not clarify the nationalities of the two  bodies recovered in the past 24 hours.

So far, investigators have been unable to retrieve the ferry's voyage data recorder (VDR) -- its "black box" -- which should give a clearer indication of led to the ferry capsizing.

- Could have been prevented -

Meanwhile, at a court in Kyrenia -- Girne in Turkish -- the ferry's first officer said the captain had delayed returning to port when the vessel began taking on water, local media reports said.

Speaking to Anadolu state news agency, a Turkish survivor called Sadik Saribuga also spoke of delays in turning back when the ferry was clearly experiencing trouble about 15-20 minutes into the journey.

"At first, the ferry began to sway and take on water. The seats came loose and the passengers told the crew to turn back. A man came over and said, 'This happens all the time, nothing will happen'," he said, echoing other passenger testimony about the crew trying to insist everything was fine.

Then when the situation worsened, "they tried to turn around and that's when the ship capsized," he explained, saying he and other passengers got out onto the upper deck by breaking a window.

The captain and eight others were remanded in custody by a court in Girne on Monday, and returned for a second hearing on Thursday.

At the hearing, evidence presented by police investigators said the catastrophe could have been avoided if -- when the ferry started taking on water, the captain had reduced speed and carefully turned back to port, media reports said.

The court ordered all nine, who are facing charges of negligent homicide, to remain in custody for another eight days.