The hours pass and the days and nights drag on agonizingly for the relatives of the 20 people who are still missing in the occupied territories. Hopes are fading, yet no one dares to confirm that the missing people were lost so unjustly at sea. Relatives hang on every word spoken by any official they happen to come across—be it a simple police officer, a civil servant, or even the Turkish Cypriot leader.
“Mr. ‘President,’ my child is at the bottom of the sea right now. In my dream, he says, ‘Save me, Father.’”
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Haris Papatheocharous: A photo with his wife from 2015
Tufan Erhürman: We feel your pain in our hearts. It is an indescribable pain. But right now, all our focus is on reaching the ocean floor.
A grandmother is waiting for her grandchildren…
“Oh, my God, my God, I want my grandchildren to be found as soon as possible. For God’s sake, send my grandchildren back.”
A man has lost his baby.
Read more: The ill-fated catamaran lies at a depth of 550 meters: Erhurman announced the discovery of an “object” on the seabed
Near the port of Kyrenia, a makeshift waiting area for relatives is being set up. Tufan Erhürman and the Turkish ambassador to the pseudo-state arrive there. Iakovos Iakovou documents the tense scenes.
The relatives of the victims and missing persons from the tragedy are seeking answers regarding the fate of their loved ones and the causes of the incident. The ambassador’s presence in the occupied territories sparked tension and outrage.
Relatives are furious with the so-called Minister of Transportation, Erhan Arikli, whom they are calling on to go home.
“The ‘minister’ will come here. This ‘minister’ will not resign. My brother did not die. He was murdered. He wasn’t strangled—you strangled him.”
“Let this ‘minister’ stand before me as a murderer.”
New, shocking videos from the time of the tragedy are coming to light. People out at sea watch their fellow passengers sink into the water.
“A girl in the sea. Right there in the sea. People are dying in the sea. Look. We’re drowning.”
This morning, the Turkish ship sent by Tayyip Erdoğan also began its operation. Today, the TCG Işın, capable of diving to a depth of 1,000 meters, reached the wreckage and will search for any traces of the missing.
The TCG Işın is currently at the site where the passenger ship sank, and soon this robotic system, equipped with this technology, will be deployed for search and rescue operations. This yellow robotic system that you see will be launched and then lowered into the sea.
More than 16 search-and-rescue vessels were patrolling the area today, scanning the waters. Its thermal cameras allow it to reach such great depths, and it has lifting capacity. It is remotely operated and does not require a human presence on the seafloor. It was announced that another search-and-rescue vessel will arrive from Turkey.
Watch Evangelos Agapios’s report
