Ferry carrying 267 passengers capsized off the coast of North Cyprus

KYRENIA, Cyprus (NBC, KYMA) - At least eight people died and 18 were missing after the ferry carrying 267 passengers and crew capsized off the coast of North Cyprus on Sunday, leaving survivors clinging to its overturned hull.

The privately owned ferry left the Port of Kyrenia on Sunday afternoon and immediately started taking on water for an unknown reason, authorities said.

It was heading for the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin province in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The disaster occurred just 4 nautical miles off the coast of Kyrenia, a port in breakaway Northern Cyprus, a popular holiday resort for both locals and tourists.

The ferry involved, a catamaran, was one of several shuttle sea services that link north Cyprus with Turkey daily.

Survivors told how the ferry began listing and taking on water after they heard a number of loud noises from below decks.

When the order to evacuate came, survivors said, people were already panicking.

The ship began tilting as the captain apparently made an effort to return to Kyrenia, known as Girne in Turkish.

The Turkish Coast Guard and military were assisting rescue teams from North Cyprus, describing the incident as the worst maritime disaster in Cypriot history.

Cyprus was split along ethnic lines in 1974, and Turkish Cypriots declared independence in 1983.

Only Turkey recognizes the North, where it maintains more than 35,000 troops.