Sawt Falasteen - At least 8 die, more missing, as ferry capsizes off Northern Cyprus

Several rescued passengers told local media a blast had gone off at the bow of the ferry before it rolled over, and said the boat had an insufficient supply of life-vests.

The vessel capsized 6.5 kilometres (four miles) off the coast of Cyprus, shortly after leaving a Northern Cyprus port bound for Turkey's mainland.

Images broadcast by Turkish television showed the upside-down ferry in the water, with people wearing life vests atop its orange hull.

"Some people had to jump without lifebuoys or life jackets," one young man, Efe Multici, told CNN Turk. "It was literally a fight for survival."

The ferry had been carrying a total of 267 people, according to authorities, of which 161 were rescued and taken to hospital and 76 have returned home.

The official Cypriot news agency TAK, however, said 17 were missing.

- Captain arrested -

Unal Ustel, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), said the ship's captain and seven crew members had been arrested.

The TRNC's transport minister Erhan Arikli said the ferry had "completely sunk to a depth of 514 metres (1,686 feet)".

"Efforts to find the missing are continuing tirelessly," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a public ceremony. "We hope to receive positive news from these efforts."

The TRNC is dependent on Turkey, and Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said on X: "We are providing all necessary assistance to the search and rescue operations."

One rescued passenger who spoke of a blast on board told local TRNC television after he was taken back ashore: "The front part exploded, they tried to turn around. And the side windows blew out. The boat started taking on water."

The man, aged in his 50s and not named, said he spent an hour and a half in the water before being rescued. He said many people had been inside the ferry at the moment started taking on water.

"Those who could, got out," he said, adding that he saw the captain among the first to abandon ship "without organising anything".

Another witness, in his thirties, corroborated reports of an explosion. He said he had reported water leaks to the captain.

"The seats started to float, the captain kept going, and the bow exploded," he said.

- Many inside -

Many boats, including private ones, were involved in the rescue operation. Turkey's interior ministry said on X that six Turkish navy ships had also been despatched.

"All necessary preparations are being made for a swift response from rescue and health services," the TRNC's health ministry said in a statement.

Hospitals in the territory had been alerted, to provide any needed medical attention, it added.

The ferry had departed from the Northern Cyprus port of Kyrenia -- called Girne Kepuveia in Turkish -- heading to the Turkish port of Tasucu.

The TRNC, which is recognised only by Turkey, controls the northern third of the island of Cyprus, which has been divided since 1974.

Ankara occupied that part of the island in response to an Athens-engineered Greek Cypriot coup seeking union with Greece. The territory is served with regular air and sea links to Turkey.

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST