ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended condolences for the tragic capsizing of a passenger ship in the Mediterranean Sea which killed at least eight people and left more than a dozen missing.
The vessel capsized 6.5 kilometers (four miles) off the coast of Cyprus, shortly after leaving a Northern Cyprus port bound for Turkey's mainland. 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 police have taken the captain and seven crew members of the ferry into custody.
In a post on X, PM Sharif said he was deeply saddened by the tragic capsizing of the ship in and extended heartfelt condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish government and the bereaved families.
“We pray for the swift and safe recovery of those still missing and commend the courageous search and rescue efforts underway,” the prime minister said, adding that Islamabad stood in solidarity with the Türkiye during this difficult time.
President Zardari also expressed deep sorrow over the tragic ferry incident.
He extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and prayed for the safety and swift recovery of those still missing, the presidency said in a post on X.
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.
"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."
Captain arrested
Unal Ustel, prime minister of the 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 meters (1,686 feet)". The vessel's "black box" would help them understand what had caused the sinking, he added.
But he also referred to allegations that an object might have hit the vessel.
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 organizing 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 dispatched.
"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.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been due to visit the RRNC Monday on an official visit. But that appeared to have been canceled, as his office announced on Sunday that he was due to attend a regional summit in Kyrgyzstan on Monday and Tuesday.