The captain of the doomed Cyprus ferry has been pictured after his identity was revealed by a senior Turkish Cypriot official.
At least eight people were killed and 20 remain missing after the Filo Jet, carrying 267 passengers and crew, sank off the coast of Girne on Sunday – with survivors claiming the captain abandoned ship as it capsized.
Mustafa Oz, 66, was named as the vessel’s captain as crew members and company officials were seen being led into court on Monday over the disaster.
They are among 16 people facing arrest warrants as police carry out a wide-ranging investigation into the sinking on suspicion of causing death through negligence.
Turkish Cypriot transport minister Erhan Arikli released documents naming Oz as the vessel’s captain as he said he was ready to resign if necessary over the disaster.
The ship’s captain and crew, company officials and port authorities are all under scrutiny, with police understood to have taken statements from more than 100 people and to be examining footage from before and after the disaster.
Crew members reportedly told investigators that the ferry’s ‘bow section broke off’, with technical examinations now under way to establish exactly what caused the vessel to sink.
Investigators are also examining the ship’s technical condition before it set sail and its navigation and safety permits, although initial information indicates it had the necessary approvals.
Mustafa Oz was named as the vessel’s captain as crew members and company officials were seen being led into court on Monday over the disaster
Terrifying footage shows passengers desperately scrambling to escape from deep inside a sinking ferry off northern Cyprus after it was battered by waves
The double-hulled ferry, which had 267 people aboard, took in water and flipped over on Sunday just off the port city of Kyrenia, leaving survivors clinging to the overturned hull
Rescuers in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognised by Ankara, pulled 239 people to safety, but eight others died ‘and the search continues for 20 people,’ prime minister Unal Ustel said.
Survivors have claimed the captain ignored warnings that the ferry was taking on water before abandoning ship as it capsized.
The captain, seven crew members and a shareholder in the company operating the ferry were arrested and appeared in court on Monday.
Terrifying footage from inside the stricken vessel shows passengers scrambling to escape from deep inside the sinking ferry after it was battered by waves as frightened screams and cries ring out around them.
At one point, a man is seen perched on the side of the sharply tilted ferry with a phone pressed to his ear, appearing to call for help as others scramble around him.
Other harrowing footage captures the aftermath outside, where survivors are seen bobbing in the choppy sea alongside the partially submerged ferry.
Some cling to one another in the water while others are seen trying to pull people from inside the ship. In further footage a rescue helicopter is seen hovering overhead.
Harrowing accounts of passengers’ ordeal have since come to light.
Ayten Bicer told how she felt her 12-year-old daughter slip from her hands and disappear as a ferry capsized on Sunday.
Her daughter Miray, and six-year-old son Mehmet Asaf, are among 20 people still missing on Monday as search teams scoured waters more than 500 metres (1,640 feet) deep.
‘She was saying, “Don’t let go”. And I didn’t let go of my daughter. I swear, I didn’t let her go,’ Ms Bicer sobbed.
Crew members arriving at court today, escorted by security
The ship’s captain and crew, company officials and port authorities are all under scrutiny
A rescue mission continued into the night after a ferry carrying 267 passengers capsized shortly after departing from the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday
Some cling to one another in the water while others are seen trying to pull others from inside the ship
A suitcase fell on top of her, forcing the girl from her grasp. The mother caught hold of the daughter’s foot, but her shoes, coated in engine oil from the overturned vessel, slipped through her hands.
The double-hulled ferry with 267 aboard took in water and flipped over off the port city of Kyrenia, leaving survivors clinging to the overturned hull. They were rescued by passing vessels and the coastguard authorities.
Separate accounts said the wide-bodied vessel jolted violently before slamming onto the sea surface with part of its bow bursting open on impact. Severe storms hit Cyprus on Saturday and the seas were still rough on Sunday.
Debris remained scattered across the water on Monday, including a black wheelie suitcase bobbing on the surface and a sheet of steel that appeared to have broken away from the ferry.
The boat was struck by one wave before a second hit as the captain tried to regain control, causing the ferry to begin taking on water, according to Mr Ustel.
The privately owned ferry had originally been scheduled to travel to Turkey on Saturday, but its journey was delayed because of poor weather conditions, Mr Ustel said.
Naif Ezer, one of those waiting anxiously outside the port for news of passengers through the early hours of Monday, said: ‘We’ve been waiting since the morning, for 12 hours or maybe more.’
Of three friends travelling home to see their families, one had been found but the other two were still missing, he added.
Other harrowing footage captures the aftermath outside, where survivors are seen bobbing in the choppy sea alongside the partially submerged ferry
Some of those waiting sat and silently wept, while others scrolled through their mobile phones for updates.
It was unclear whether people remained trapped inside the vessel, which has now sunk and is lying on the seabed at a depth of more than 500 metres (1,640ft).
Divers from Turkey were assisting the search, officials said.
Officials gave differing estimates of the number of people still missing, with some saying 19 and others 18.
The ship’s captain and seven crew members were detained as part of an investigation into ‘how this tragedy occurred’, Mr Ustel said.
Authorities are also attempting to recover the ferry’s black box recorder to establish what happened.
Shortly after the doomed vessel departed from Kyrenia around midday on Sunday, passengers realised that there was a problem.
They had discovered that the boat had begun to take on water and warned the captain and crew that they needed to return to port.
Unmoved by their concerns, the ferry continued on towards the Turkish port of Tasucu.
Fearing for their safety as the boat continued out to sea amid a storm, the terrified passengers scrambled to find lifejackets, only to realise they were in short supply.
Passengers try to pull people out who are still trapped inside the ship
They heard a blast come from the ship’s bow and the vessel began to capsize, leading to an exodus of passengers who frantically jumped into the sea to escape, many without any buoyancy aids.
Among the first to abandon ship, according to survivors, was the captain himself, who was arrested alongside seven of his crew members later on Sunday.
One rescued passenger said he spent an hour-and-a-half in the water before being rescued.
The man, aged in his 50s and not named, told local Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus television that the front of the boat ‘exploded’ and the side windows ‘blew out’ as the boat took on more and more water.
‘Those who could, got out,’ he said, adding that he saw the captain among the first to abandon ship ‘without organising anything’.
Several rescued passengers told local media that a blast had gone off at the bow before it rolled over.
Another witness, in his 30s, 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.
