The parents of two children missing after a ferry capsized off northern Cyprus have described the terrifying moments they spent trying to keep their kids from being swept away.
At least eight people have died after the passenger vessel overturned and sank over the weekend. The boat was carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members when the tragedy occurred. Another 18 people are believed to remain missing.
Among those still unaccounted for are 12-year-old Miray and six-year-old Mehmet, who both fell from the ferry during the disaster.
Their parents, Ayten and Hayri Bicer, were forced to make the devastating decision to return to shore with their surviving son while leaving their two younger children behind. Ayten recalled desperately holding onto Miray as the ferry was sinking, saying her daughter pleaded with her not to let go.
“She was saying, ‘Don’t let go’. And I didn’t let go of my daughter. I swear, I didn’t let her go.”
“We made a lot of effort but we couldn’t save our children”
But the mother was eventually unable to keep hold of her child.
A suitcase struck Miray and knocked her from Ayten’s grasp. She then attempted to hold onto her daughter’s foot, but the conditions made it increasingly difficult.
“It was slipping like oil, there was diesel, our feet were slippery. It was slippery everywhere…. she slipped out of my hand,” Ayten said.
Hayri described the devastating aftermath, saying the couple had done everything they could to save their children.
“We couldn’t intervene. We lost our children. We made a lot of effort but we couldn’t save our children. Two of my children are gone. One of my sons is alive. We left them. We are leaving them on this island as we go.”
“It was shaking violently”
The tragedy has since prompted an investigation into what caused the ferry to capsize. On Monday, August 31, all eight crew members, including the captain, along with another man, were formally arrested.
Northern Cyprus Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said the arrests were part of an investigation intended to establish how the disaster happened.
“Every aspect of this incident will be investigated,” he wrote in a post on Facebook. “Even the slightest negligence will be uncovered. No one will be spared, regardless of who is found to be at fault or responsible.
“It is both the duty of our state and its responsibility to the people we have lost and their families to fully illuminate all aspects of this great tragedy.”
Search-and-rescue teams launched extensive operations immediately after the ferry went down, as authorities continued looking for the 18 passengers who remain missing.
However, as more time passes, the chances of finding survivors are sadly becoming smaller.
At least eight people have died
The ferry’s hull has also sunk to the seabed, and it remains unclear whether any passengers could still be trapped inside.
One survivor has since described the frightening conditions aboard the vessel before it went under.
Efe Multici told CNN Turk that the ferry appeared to be struggling in the water, with the vessel repeatedly rising and crashing back down.
“The vessel had been moving very badly. It was constantly lifting out of the water and slamming back down. It was shaking violently.”
He said the situation became even more frightening moments later, when the ferry suddenly rose into the air before crashing back down.
“The front left side burst open and water started pouring in,” he added.
Reports have also indicated that the ferry departed despite extremely stormy conditions.
Passengers are said to have asked the crew to turn the vessel around, but their requests were reportedly refused.
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