Three Azerbaijani citizens are among those detained as part of the ongoing investigation into the shipwreck off the coast of Girne, Northern Cyprus, which resulted in the deaths of 8 people.
Sea-news.az reports citing Report, that the detained individuals are Valeh Humbatov, a resident of Palchigoba village in the Khachmaz district; Rashad Ibrahimov, originally from Tartar and currently living in Baku; and Gadir Guliyev from the Shabran district.
Yegana Humbatova, mother of 28-year-old Valeh Humbatov, stated that she last spoke with her son a few hours after the incident: “I have one daughter and one son. Valeh studied in Baku and went to work on a ship in Turkey for the first time. Before this, he worked as a sailor on a cargo ship for 5 months. It had only been a month since he transferred to a passenger vessel; both ships belong to the same company. He was supposed to return home to the region this month.”
According to Y. Humbatova, during the shipwreck, her son managed to send a brief message to his fiancée informing her that they were sinking: “His fiancée notified us. I called him a few hours after the accident, and he said they were rescuing people and would call back once they reached land. We spoke very briefly. Later, he spoke with his fiancée once more, saying they were being taken under observation. Since then, we have not been able to establish contact.”
Turkan Tahmazova, sister of another detained citizen, Rashad Ibrahimov (born in 2006), noted that her brother had gone to Northern Cyprus to work on a ship 20 days prior: “Until this incident, we had only communicated via video calls. On the day of the accident, the company that employed him called my husband to provide details. That same day was my sister’s engagement, so my husband chose not to alarm us immediately.”
T. Tahmazova added that conflicting reports regarding casualties had initially circulated: “My husband initially feared my brother was among the victims and that the company was withholding accurate information. Later, he reconnected with management and confirmed that my brother survived. All of Rashad’s personal belongings, including his mobile phone, were lost in the water. My husband eventually spoke with Rashad using another Azerbaijani crew member’s phone; during that brief call, Rashad mentioned he was in the hospital.”
The family learned about the detention from social media footage showing him in handcuffs: “Hewspoke with the hiring company, and they assured us that while the detention is real, Rashad bears no responsibility for the disaster, and this is a standard procedural measure given the high number of fatalities. Rashad has been provided with a lawyer, and we stay in touch through legal counsel to get the latest updates.”
Nurat Guliyev, brother of the third detained individual, Gadir Guliyev, stated that they currently have no direct communication with him: “We are originally from Shabran and live in the region. My brother is 22 years old and single. He has been working on the same ship since April as a sailor. After the accident, he called our mother to report that the ship had sunk, but that they were safe and being taken away to give statements.”
A family representative added that representatives from the ship’s operating company contacted their father to reassure them there was no cause for alarm.
For context, a vessel suffered a catastrophic accident off the coast of Girne, Northern Cyprus, on August 30. Current reports indicate that 240 individuals have been rescued, 8 have died, and search-and-rescue operations remain active for 19 missing passengers.
