“It was possible to prevent the sinking of the high-speed passenger vessel belonging to the ‘Filo Jet’ company off the coast of Northern Cyprus.”
Sea-news.az reports citing information released by the local newspaper Kıbrıs Postası (KP) based on the investigation, that the vessel left the port of Girne already in a damaged condition.
According to the preliminary conclusions of the investigation, the ship had sustained damage, yet it still put out to sea. Statements from victims and video footage also confirm this.
The newspaper adds that although the captain had the opportunity to turn the vessel back and return to port at a low speed, he ignored the danger and failed to do so. It is reported that if the captain had immediately changed course and returned to Girne at a slow speed as soon as water began flooding the ferry, the tragedy would not have occurred. However, instead of reducing speed, he continued moving forward.
On Thursday, the court extended the pre-trial detention period of nine suspects for another eight days in connection with the criminal case involving fatalities. The captain of the ferry is among those detained. It is reported that, according to information submitted to the court, the captain purchased his license for 3.5 thousand dollars from Honduras and subsequently registered that document in Greece.
To recall, on August 30, a vessel carrying nearly 260 passengers and eight crew members sank in the sea 2.5 kilometers off the coast of Cyprus. As a result of the tragedy, nine people lost their lives, and another 19 remain missing.
