A ferry carrying around 270 passengers and crew capsized off North Cyprus. The incident resulted in at least seven deaths and 23 missing individuals

Somalia says Turkish navy freed hijacked ship; 14 pirates killed.

NICOSIA, Aug 30 (Reuters) -  On Sunday, a ferry carrying around 270 passengers and crew capsized off North Cyprus. The incident resulted in at least seven deaths and 23 missing individuals. Survivors were left clinging to the overturned hull of the ferry.

At 12:30 p.m. (0930 GMT), the privately owned ferry left the port of Kyrenia and immediately started to take on water, for reasons that are as yet unclear, according to authorities. It was bound for the Turkish port of Tarsus in the eastern Mediterranean province of Mersin. The disaster struck just off the coast of Kyrenia, a popular holiday resort for both locals and tourists. The ferry involved was a catamaran, one of several shuttle services that link North Cyprus with Turkey daily.

 237 people were saved

The leader of Turkish Cyprus, Tufan Erhurman, said that 237 people were saved, seven people died, and 23 people are still missing."We have found 237 people alive. However, we have also recovered the bodies of seven people who lost their lives. We are deeply saddened by this,” he told CNN Turk in a live broadcast.

Related: Tanzania-flagged cargo ship Suffers Engine Failure in Turkey’s Dardanelles.

Statement of The Turkish Interior Ministry

The Turkish Interior Ministry announced the deployment of four Northern Cyprus coast guard vessels and a passenger ship to the area, alongside five Turkish Coast Guard Command vessels and two helicopters. Six Turkish Navy vessels have also been dispatched. 'Search and rescue operations are being carried out meticulously in coordination with the relevant units,' it added. Video footage showed people in red life jackets sitting or standing on top of the overturned vessel as authorities scrambled coastguard and private vessels for assistance to bring them to ​shore.

Freed a hijacked cargo ship 

On the other hand, on Saturday, Somalia’s defence ministry announced that the Turkish Navy and Somali armed forces had freed a hijacked cargo ship after a 10-day operation off Somalia’s northeastern coast. The operation left 14 pirates dead and destroyed four boats.

Related: Report : Somali piracy hits 10-year high with 13 incidents in seven months

It is noteworthy that on 17 August, pirates seized the Cameroon-flagged ship off Jiifle in the Eyl district of Somalia’s semi-autonomous northeastern federal member state of Puntland, before taking it towards the Nugaal coast. According to a Somali official who spoke to the Associated Press, the ship was carrying Turkish weapons, communications equipment, and satellite systems intended for a Turkish military training facility in Mogadishu

The seizure occurred amid the most serious resurgence of Somali piracy in years. On 24 August, the International Maritime Organisation IMO announced that pirates and armed robbers were holding six vessels and over 90 seafarers in the region. The resurgence of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters cannot be allowed to go unaddressed," IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said, with a call being made for sustained international naval cooperation.

Source: Agencies

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