Two more victims of the Filo Jet ferry disaster off Girne have been formally identified, while DNA tests are under way to establish the identity of an 18th person recovered during continuing deep-sea searches.
The TRNC Prime Ministry announced on Tuesday, 29 September, that DNA examinations had confirmed two bodies recovered from the seabed over the weekend belonged to five-year-old Mehmet Asaf Biçer and 51-year-old Nihat Pancar.
Both had been among those missing since the high-speed passenger ferry sank shortly after departing Girne for Taşucu in southern Türkiye on 30 August.
The two bodies were found during searches of the seabed approximately one kilometre from the Filo Jet wreck and at a depth of around 570 metres. Because they were discovered some distance from the vessel, authorities waited for DNA results before formally confirming they were among those missing from the disaster.
The confirmation is particularly heartbreaking in the case of Mehmet Asaf, who was the youngest of the passengers still unaccounted for.
Another body recovered
As the identifications were announced, search teams revealed that another body had been recovered on Tuesday, taking the confirmed number of people to have died in the disaster to 18.
DNA testing has now begun to establish the identity of the latest victim.
The latest developments mean 10 people remain missing, while 239 passengers and crew were rescued alive following the sinking.
The TRNC Prime Ministry said search operations are continuing using all available state resources.
The discovery of bodies away from the wreck has reinforced the importance of continuing the wider seabed search. Specialist teams had previously searched accessible sections of the Filo Jet itself without locating all those missing.
The vessel lies more than 550 metres beneath the Mediterranean. Its Voyage Data Recorder — commonly described as the ship's “black box” — was recovered last week and handed to police, potentially providing investigators with important evidence about the ferry's final journey.
A wide-ranging criminal and technical investigation into the disaster remains under way. Investigators are examining the condition of the vessel, earlier structural damage and repairs, its inspections and certification, and decisions taken by the captain and crew before and during the emergency.
No definitive cause of the sinking has yet been established.
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