Serif Ozdemir, 67, was buried today next to her husband, Huseyin Ozdemir, 69, in Mersin, Turkey, in the presence of their two children, relatives, and friends. The couple were aboard the Filo Jet catamaran that sank on Sunday, August 30, off the coast of occupied Kyrenia. Huseyin was on the list of the deceased, while Serif was pulled from the wreckage.
The Ozdemir couple, their son-in-law Haki Sahin, and their daughters Sengul Sahin and Kamuran Unal had traveled to the occupied territories to attend a relative’s wedding, and the ship sank on thereturn voyage. The groom, Hakki Sahin, told reporters that they realized the ship was taking on water as they set sail from the port of Kyrenia. They warned the captain, and even though they told him not to set sail, he did so anyway. “And then we were caught in bad weather. We stayed on the ship for about an hour; we struggled a lot. We saved my wife, but we couldn’t save my father-in-law and mother-in-law,” he said.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Meanwhile, as efforts continue to recover the bodies of 33-year-old Mustafa Demir and 28-year-old Mahmoud Demir from the wreck of the Filo Jet, their family is facing an attempted scam. Halil Demir, the older brother of the missing brothers, stated that appeals for help made in the family’s name are not genuine and asked the public not to trust individuals who make such posts and even publicize IBAN numbers in the brothers’ names, claiming that “the family needs help.”
“They’re sharing IBAN numbers, taking advantage of people’s good intentions, even before we know where our brothers are. Don’t trust anyone and don’t send money to anyone. Don’t involve my brothers in such terrible things. I want the authorities to find the people who are doing this,” he said.
The family does not need any financial assistance, Demir added, noting that the government and their relatives are supporting them, and he urged people not to send money.
Meanwhile, in a written statement, the “prime minister,” Ünal Ustel, stated that search efforts are continuing, but the research vessel Isin, which has been there for several days, has left the wreck site to refuel. At the location where the sunken Filo Jet was found, the ship Alemdar is continuing the search.
Furthermore, he adds, in order to make the search operations even more effective, reports prepared in Istanbul regarding potential operations that could be carried out with private companies possessing advanced deep-water search and rescue capabilities are being evaluated. “Therefore, the issue is not about halting search operations, but about strengthening existing capabilities to increase the effectiveness of the operations. As a government, we are doing whatever is necessary to achieve our goals,” he said.
13 Questions from the PTK
The PTK, however, is calling for an immediate special session of the “parliament” to discuss the shipwreck. “The great tragedy we experienced has demonstrated once again how vital the oversight mechanisms are that the state must establish and implement to protect human lives,” said RTK President Sila Uyar Incirli in a statement following her meeting with “Speaker of the House” Ziya Ozturkler.
She added that what needs to be done is to present the necessary documents, to clarify how the licensing and inspection system operates, and to uncover any administrative or institutional negligence.
Among other things, the PTK is seeking to determine, given that the catamaran was out of service for a long period prior to 2024, what the technical, administrative, or legal reasons were for the vessel’s prolonged absence from service and what inspections it underwent upon its return to service.
He also asks whether the “council” of the “port authority” responsible for ship inspections is operational and whether inspections were carried out during this period, how the vessel’s seaworthiness, structural safety, and technical adequacy were assessed, and which technical reports were accepted; whether previous damage was examined, maintenance and repairs to the vessel, what findings the insurance adjusters reached during their inspections of the vessel’s technical condition, whether the “authorities” are in possession of the audiovisual footage from the same ship’s voyage last May, during which it also took on water, while requesting that the annual classification inspection for June 2026 be submitted.
The PTK also seeks to determine whether the necessary checks were carried out before the ship’s departure from the port of Kyrenia on the day of the tragedy, whether the captain had the proper documents, whether there was a delay in the ship’s departure on Sunday, what the reason was and how it was recorded in the ship’s log, the sequence of events from departure to sinking, and the rescue operation from the first distress call onward.
Source: CNA
