The death toll from a ferry disaster off northern Cyprus rose to 13 on Saturday after rescuers recovered another body, while 15 people were still missing.
The latest official tally lists 239 people rescued and 15 unaccounted for among the 259 passengers and eight crew members aboard the Filo Jet.
The operation involves nine vessels and 11 aircraft, with the Turkish Naval Forces search-and-rescue ships TCG Işın and TCG Alemdar using remotely operated underwater vehicles.
The wreck was found off the port of Kyrenia, known in Turkish as Girne, at a depth of 554 meters (1,818 feet), and teams are trying to recover its voyage data recorder, or black box.
The high-speed catamaran left Girne around midday on August 30 for Taşucu on Turkey’s southern coast, began taking on water shortly after departure and sank as it tried to return to port.
A Girne court on Thursday ordered the two captains and seven other people detained for eight more days as police investigate whether negligence caused the deaths.
Police told the court that slowing down and making a careful return to port could have prevented the disaster, while the second captain said he had warned against sailing because of the weather and the captain and crew said waves damaged the bow.
Survivors said crew members played down the danger, lifejackets were difficult to find and some doors were closed during the evacuation, while a defense lawyer said the crew distributed lifejackets, lowered rafts and helped passengers escape.
Maritime expert Ulus Göker alleged that the captain failed to slow the ferry, make a prompt distress call or direct an evacuation and that the inspection board for ships registered in northern Cyprus had not operated for three to five years.
Naval architect Erdal Kılıç alleged that tests after a 2016 grounding showed serious structural damage and that the owners rejected his proposed repairs, but police said the ferry passed a June 2 inspection and that the 29 defects recorded in 2018 do not establish its condition when it sank.
The government suspended Filo Denizcilik sailings, removed the port officials who approved the voyage and asked a technical team from Turkey to review the disaster.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), declared in 1983 and recognized only by Turkey, controls the northern part of the divided island, while the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus controls the south.
