Summary

  • We've now ended our live coverage - you can read more in our news story

  • The captain and seven crew of a passenger boat that capsized near northern Cyprus have been taken into custody, the local leader says

  • According to Cypriot and Turkish media, the death toll has risen to eight, as emergency services continue to search for missing passengers

  • Ünal Üstel, prime minister of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, says search and rescue operations will continue "uninterrupted" until all victims are found

  • There were 267 people on the boat when it capsized, according to Üstel, and in an earlier update he said 237 had been rescued, although the current figure is unclear

  • The boat left from the northern Cypriot port of Kyrenia at 11:58 local time (09:58 BST) and officials say it capsized around four nautical miles into its journey to Turkey

  • Cyprus has been physically divided since Turkey's 1974 invasion, with UN soldiers patrolling a buffer zone known as the Green Line

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Passengers stand on capsized Cyprus ferry ahead of rescue

Live Reporting

Edited by Angus Thompson and Ben Hatton

  1. Picture shows boat capsized
    Breaking

    Footage from the scene shows the boat on its side with passengers standing on top in life jackets.

    Footage shows a boat on its side with lots of people in life jackets on topReuters

  2. What do we know about the vessel?

    George Wright
    BBC News

    The Filo Jet vessel is a high-speed craft that sails under the flag of Turkey, according to Marine Traffic.

    The vessel is 40 metres long and 10 metres wide.

    Marine Traffic reports it left the northern Cypriot port of Kyrenia at 11:58 on Sunday. It was due to arrive at Tasucu in Turkey at 17:52 local time.

  3. 'There has been loss of life and there are injuries' - statement
    Breaking

    There have been casualties after the ship capsized seven kilometres (4 miles) off the coast of Kyrenia Harbour, Ünal Üstel, the prime minister of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus says.

    In a statement at the scene he says: "We are deeply saddened. There has been loss of life and there are injuries.

    "We are on the ground with all our resources."

    The self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is controlled by and only recognised by Turkey.

  4. Mayor describes situation as 'very serious'
    Breaking

    Mayor of the coastal town of Kyrenia, Murat Senkul, says the situation is "very serious".

    In a post on Facebook, he says 270 passengers and crew were aboard when the ship sank off the coast of northern Cyprus.

    We've seen an update from Turkey's Interior Ministry which reports 267 people were on board.

    Senkul says coastal security is taking part in numerous small boat rescue operations alongside Akgunlerin Express.

  5. Passengers rescued after boat capsizes

    Rescued passengers are shown being taken ashore after the boat capsized off Kyrenia, in northern Cyprus.

    A helicopter and ambulance are also pictured at the port.

    Many people wearing life jackets are standing on a boat that has pulled up to a dock.Reuters
    A helicopter and an ambulance are at a port.Reuters

  6. Search and rescue operation under way - Turkish Interior Ministry
    Breaking

    The Turkish Interior Ministry says a passenger ship, carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members, began taking taking on water and "was in danger of sinking at a location 4 nautical miles off Kyrenia Port".

    A search and rescue operation initiated, it adds in a statement.

    The statement adds: "As part of these operations, four marine vessels belonging to the TRNC Coast Guard Command and the passenger ship AKGÜNLER 3 were deployed to the scene, while the Coast Guard Command dispatched an additional five marine vessels and two Coast Guard helicopters to the area.

    "Furthermore, six naval vessels were assigned by the Naval Forces Command to support the operations being conducted in the region.

    "Search and rescue efforts are being carried out meticulously and in co-ordination among the relevant units."

  7. A boat with some 270 passengers on board capsizes off northern Cyprus
    Breaking

    A passenger boat with some 270 people on board has capsized off northern Cyprus, with a search and rescue under way, local media report.

    Murat Senkul, the mayor of the coastal town of Kyrenia, told broadcaster CNN Turk that 159 of those aboard had been reached.

    "The situation is very serious," he said.