A shocking testimony has emerged from a passenger aboard a vessel that sank off the coast of Kyrenia, in the occupied territories of northern Cyprus, leaving at least 7 dead and 23 missing. As reported by SKAI’s correspondent in Istanbul, Manolis Kostidis, a survivor who spoke to the newspaper Kibris is placing blame squarely on the crew, claiming they repeatedly told passengers that “there is no problem.”
Read more: Northern Cyprus: Ship sinks off Kyrenia, seven dead — Watch video of the large-scale rescue operation
Kyrenia shipwreck: “There is absolutely no problem”
“The ship started banging loudly, ‘thud-thud’… We called the crew and told them: ‘Look, the ship is taking on water.’ One of them told us: ‘You’re not used to this, nothing will happen. We’re experienced, there is absolutely no problem,'” the survivor recounted. “Then it started taking on more and more water, and the seats began to sink. The captain continued as normal. Even as we stayed in contact with the captain, they kept telling us ‘nothing will happen’ and carried on.”
“Then the front of the ship broke apart. The moment the bow burst open, they told us: ‘Emergency — everyone out immediately.’ They themselves ran and got off first, leaving the passengers behind… No one had any assurance for their life. No one was informed.”
“Only after the ship exploded did they say: ‘Let’s go, we’re leaving!’ The windows shattered, the ship plunged into the water, and many people couldn’t get out. Once the windows broke, they started saying we had to evacuate. Children and others squeezed under the seats. But the elderly women couldn’t fit under the seats — they were trapped… they didn’t make it out,” he stressed.
Girne’de alabora olan gemiden kurtulan yolculardan şok iddialar:
“Gemi pat pat vurmaya başladı. Görevlileri çağırdık.
Gemi su alıyor dedik. Bize ‘Siz alışkın değilsiniz, bir şey olmaz’ dediler.
Sonra iyice su alınca koltuklar kırıldı, kaptan da gelip ‘Bir şey olmaz’ dedi,…
— Prof. Dr. Mustafa ÖZTÜRK (@ozturk_mustafa) August 30, 2026
