Istanbul: Some people died when a ferry capsized off Northern Cyprus on Sunday, the head of the local government said, without giving a precise toll.
"There are some fatalities," Unal Ustel, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), said, according to Turkiye's state news agency Anadolu.
He added that 267 people had been on board the vessel when it capsized, and around 100 had been evacuated by rescuers.
The capsize occurred shortly after the ferry departed from the Northern Cyprus port of Kyrenia headed for the Turkish port of Tasucu.
Images broadcast by Turkish television showed the upside-down ferry in the water, with people wearing life vests atop its orange hull. The weather was sunny and several boats were seen in the area to lend assistance.
The TRNC, which is recognised only by Turkiye, controls the northern third of the island of Cyprus, which has been divided since 1974.
Ankara occupied that part of the island that year in response to an Athens-engineered Greek Cypriot coup seeking union with Greece. The TRNC today is served with regular air and sea links to Turkiye.
"All necessary preparations are being made for a swift response from rescue and health services," the TRNC's health ministry said in a statement.
It added that hospitals in the territory had been alerted, so they could provide any medical attention that might be needed.
