The nine individuals arrested in connection with the deadly shipwreck that occurred last Saturday off the coast of occupied Kyrenia, which resulted in the deaths of 9 people. Another 19 are still missing. As of yesterday, the tragic toll stood at 8 dead and 20 missing; however, following searches at the wreck site at a depth of 550 meters, the body of another man was recovered on Wednesday. The body appears to belong to one of the two “citizens” of the pseudo-state who were on the list of missing persons, Ismail Kurt. So far, however, it has not been announced whether any other bodies have been located.
It should be recalled that yesterday, Wednesday, by decision of the so-called prime minister, Unal Ustel, the so-called minister of transportation, Erhan Arikli, was dismissed. The removal of the so-called minister was also endorsed by the Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhürman.
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It was stated today in the “court” chamber that the statements given to the “police” indicated that on the day of the incident, due to bad weather, the port of Taşucu was closed, and the decision to set sail was made on the captain’s own initiative and at his discretion.
According to other information presented before the “court,” it was reported that the ship’s crew had been warned of the possibility of water entering the ship, and the autopsy results of the eight people who lost their lives in the accident were also presented. According to these, it was determined that their deaths were caused by drowning.
Furthermore, it was reported before the so-called court that blood and urine samples were taken from the nine suspects in order to conduct tests for alcohol and drugs. However, the test results have not yet been released.
Among those injured in the accident is a 6-year-old child, who remains hospitalized and is receiving treatment.
“I warned the captain not to set sail”
As part of the investigation into the “Filo Jet” tragedy, the second captain, M.S., testified before the “court” that she had warned the first captain, M.Ö., that, due to weather conditions, the ship should not have set sail.
As part of the investigation, more than 200 statements have been taken, and statements are expected to be taken from more than 100 additional individuals.
The so-called police reported that the investigation into the case has not yet been completed and requested an extension of the suspects’ detention period. The “Kyrenia District Court” ordered the continued detention for another 8 days of First Officer M.Ö., Second Officer M.S., as well as crew members A.Ö., Z.Ö., M.G., S.E., K.K., V.H., and R.İ.
The captain holds a captain’s license from Honduras
During the proceedings before the “court,” the issue of the first captain’s, M.Ö., master’s license was also examined in detail. According to the “police” testimony, M.Ö. had stopped working as a captain for about 10 years and, in order to return to the profession, he subsequently obtained a captain’s license from Honduras for the sum of $3,500.
Specifically, the “police” reported that the ship’s captain, who is among the arrested suspects, had initially obtained a captain’s license from Turkey, which, however, had expired due to a ten-year hiatus from practicing the profession. According to the “police,” the captain subsequently obtained a license from Honduras, paying the sum of $3,500. It was also reported that, in the statement he gave to the “police,” the captain stated that, because he considered it difficult to obtain a license from Turkey, he secured the relevant document in exchange for a sum of money in Greece. At the same time, it was determined that the captain is not registered with social security. The police reported that the investigation into the validity and legality of the captain’s certificate/license is ongoing.
It was also reported that examinations are continuing regarding the technical condition of the “Filo Jet,” the decision to proceed with the voyage, the crew’s actions and interventions before and during the tragedy, as well as the documents pertaining to the vessel.
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