Ayten Bicer watched in horror as her 12-year-old daughter slipped from her grasp when the ferry they were traveling on capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday, leaving at least eight people dead.
Her daughter Miray and six-year-old son Memhet Asaf are among the 20 people still missing after the vessel sank while en route to Turkey from the coastal town of Kyrenia, in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Bicer and her husband Hayri survived the tragedy, joining countless other families anxiously waiting for updates from rescue teams at port.
“She was saying, ‘Don’t let go.’ And I didn’t let go of my daughter. I swear, I didn’t let her go,” Bicer told reporters through tears.
Bicer explained that a suitcase fell on top of her during the chaos, causing her to lose hold of her daughter. She managed to grab onto her child’s foot, but engine oil from the overturned vessel made everything dangerously slippery, and her daughter slipped away.
“It was slippery everywhere. It was like oil. She slipped out of my hand,” she recalled emotionally.
The family had been returning to Turkey after spending their holiday on the Mediterranean island.
“We couldn’t intervene, we lost our children,” Hayri Bicer said. “Two of my three children are gone. We left them. We are leaving them on this island as we go.”
The ferry was carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members at the time of the incident. According to local authorities, nineteen passengers are currently receiving treatment in hospitals across northern Cyprus.
The eight crew members, including the ship’s captain, along with one additional individual, were formally arrested on Monday. They will remain detained for three days, while arrest warrants have been issued for several other individuals involved.
The privately owned ferry departed from the popular holiday resort of Kyrenia at approximately 12:30 (09:30 GMT), heading toward Tasucu in Turkey.
The journey was originally scheduled for Saturday but was delayed due to severe storms affecting the island. Despite the postponement, rough seas persisted on Sunday when the vessel set sail.
Eyewitness accounts describe how the double-hulled ferry jolted violently before crashing onto the water’s surface, with part of its bow reportedly bursting open upon impact.
Ünal Üstel, Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is only recognized by Turkey, revealed to local media that the boat was struck by two large waves before capsizing.
According to Üstel, the captain was attempting to regain control after the first wave when a second wave hit, causing the vessel to begin taking on water rapidly.
