A passenger boat carrying about 270 people capsized off Northern Cyprus on Sunday. A search and rescue operation is underway, according to Turkish Cypriot media reports.
The catamaran-style ferry was travelling from the port of Kyrenia, also known as Girne, in northern Cyprus, to Tasucu in Turkey's Mersin province when it began taking in water several kilometres off the coast, according to Turkish state broadcaster TRT.
In a video posted by CyprusNewspaper on X, passengers can be seen waiting to be rescued on the overturned vessel.
The Express Passenger Ship, owned by Filo Jet and carrying more than 250 people, capsized 2-3 km offshore shortly after departing from Girne Port, according to CyprusNewspaper.
Coast Guard boats, civilian vessels, helicopters and ships belonging to private companies are involved in the rescue operation, while ambulances have been stationed on the shore, the news portal reported.
Murat Senkul, the mayor of Kyrenia, told broadcaster CNN Turk that 159 of the 258 passengers on board the vessel had been reached.
The Kibris newspaper reported that the vessel, which some reports described as a catamaran, began taking in water about four miles off the shore. Ambulances were dispatched to the scene, it said.
Further details on the cause of the ferry capsizing and the status of passengers are awaited as rescue operations continue. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
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