Death Toll Rises to 12 in Kyrenia Ferry Sinking

The death toll from the sinking of a passenger ferry near Kyrenia has risen to 12 after the bodies of two more women were recovered on 5 Sep 2026, according to authorities in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Sixteen people remain missing as search and rescue teams continue operations for a fifth consecutive day. The vessel, the FiloJet ferry, capsized and sank on 31 Aug 2026 while sailing from Kyrenia to the port of Taşucu in Turkey's Mersin Province, going down roughly five kilometers from the coast. Of the 267 people who were on board, 241 passengers were rescued. A day before the latest recoveries, wreckage from the ferry was located at the accident site, and rescuers subsequently found the body of a man believed to be around 50 years old; authorities plan to collect DNA samples from relatives of missing passengers to confirm identities. Investigators are examining whether so-called rogue waves, which can form after powerful storms, contributed to the disaster, as the region had recently experienced severe weather. Search efforts for the remaining missing passengers are ongoing, according to Turkish broadcaster NTV, which cited local authorities. The incident adds to a series of recent ferry disasters worldwide, including a separate ferry capsizing off Northern Cyprus that killed at least seven people and left 23 missing, and a fire aboard the Mutiara Sentosa 2 ferry off Java that killed at least five and left 41 missing.