Tragedy off the coast of Cyprus: Survivor recounts chaos on ferry, “We were told it was normal

After a passenger ferry sank near Kyrenia, Cyprus, survivors described moments of panic on board and made serious allegations against the crew.

The current death toll stands at 8, while dozens of people are still considered missing. Around 267 people were on the ferry, while hundreds of other passengers were brought to safety.

Ibrahim Kanbolat, one of the survivors, said the situation escalated within moments when water began entering the vessel.

He said that after noticing the problem, the passengers alerted the crew, but were told that such a thing was “normal” and that the staff members were accustomed to situations like that.

According to Kanbolat, the water began spreading uncontrollably, after which part of the side of the ferry was damaged.

“The ship immediately began to tilt,” the survivor recounted. He said that a crew member went toward the rear and asked the passengers to move there, but no life jackets were distributed. “Everyone saved themselves by their own efforts,” he said.

The danger was even greater because there were children and people who could not swim among the passengers.

Kanbolat said that the crew members were of Pakistani origin and that communication between them and the passengers was difficult.

“The windows had broken and the ship was tilting. Even now, we do not know exactly what happened. We are in a state of shock,” he said.

The survivor said that he was eventually rescued by a private vessel. Meanwhile, investigations are continuing to determine the cause of the sinking and establish whether there were shortcomings in the safety measures.

Relatives of the victims and missing people have gathered at the port of Kyrenia, where they are waiting for information about their loved ones. Images from the scene show painful moments, with relatives crying and seeking to learn the fate of their family members.

The search-and-rescue operation is continuing, while the authorities are trying to find the missing people and fully establish the circumstances of this tragedy.