Rescuers search for 18 missing after boat capsizes off Northern Cyprus

The captain and crew of the ferry have been brought before a judge and placed under formal arrest.The search is continuing for 18 missing people the day after eight people died when a ferry capsized off the coast of Northern Cyprus.Early on Monday, the captain and eight others were brought before a judge and placed under formal arrest as three days of national mourning began, according to the official state news agency of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Investigators probe cause of Northern Cyprus boat capsizing, crew detainedlist 2 of 4At least seven dead and 23 missing after boat capsizes off northern Cypruslist 3 of 4Tunisia recovers 11 bodies after boat carrying migrants sinks, 3 missinglist 4 of 4Tunisia sees protests after migrant boat sinking kills eightend of listThe ferry ran into trouble ⁠⁠about midday (09:00 GMT) on Sunday, shortly after leaving the northern port of Girne – also known as Kyrenia – heading for the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin province. It was one of several daily sea shuttle links with Turkiye.A major rescue operation began for the 267 passengers and crew on board, according to local authorities. They said 241 were rescued, eight died and 18 were listed as missing. Their nationalities have not been published.It was not clear if people remained trapped on the vessel, which is lying on the seabed at a depth of more than 500 metres (1,640 ft).Passengers said the boat had begun taking on water before it capsized. Some survivors said they heard an explosion at the front of the boat, others said there was not enough safety equipment. Video from the scene broadcast by Turkish television showed the capsized ferry with passengers wearing life jackets sitting on top of its orange hull.“Some people had to jump without lifebuoys or life jackets,” one young man, Efe Multici, told CNN Turk. “It was literally a fight for survival.”Serkan Kunduraci, who escaped the sinking ferry by hauling himself through a broken window, said he saw children and others drowning in the sea 7.5km (4 nautical miles) off the Cypriot coast.