A total of 237 people were rescued and seven died after a vessel carrying 267 people capsized off Kyrenia, the prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said on Sunday.
Unal Ustel told Anadolu that authorities were closely monitoring the situation through a crisis center established after the incident.
"Of the 267 people aboard the vessel, 237 have been rescued by our teams. Unfortunately, seven people have lost their lives. Search and rescue efforts are continuing uninterrupted, with all our resources mobilized, to reach the 23 people who are missing," he said.
Ustel said the top priority was to locate the missing people, and that all relevant state institutions were operating in the field.
"We are carrying out search and rescue operations with great care and closely following developments," he said.
Ustel offered condolences to the families of those who died and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
He said authorities would continue to share confirmed information with the public.
Türkiye's Interior Ministry also issued a statement saying that it received information that the passenger vessel FILOJET, which was traveling from Kyrenia Port to Tasucu Port on Sunday began taking on water about 4 miles off Kyrenia Port and was at risk of sinking.
Search and rescue operations were launched in the area following the report, it said.
As part of the operation, four vessels belonging to the TRNC Coast Guard Command and the passenger vessel AKGUNLER 3 were deployed to the area.
Türkiye's Coast Guard Command also dispatched five vessels and two Coast Guard helicopters to the area.
Besides, the Turkish Naval Forces Command assigned six naval assets to support the ongoing operations.
"Search and rescue operations are continuing meticulously in coordination among the relevant units," the ministry said.
