The black box aboard the ferry which sank off the coast of Kyrenia had been turned off two days prior to its sinking, the Turkish Cypriot Kyrenia district court heard on Friday, as the case against the nine people arrested in the accident’s aftermath continued.
According to newspaper Yeniduzen, the final recording available on the black box was the sound of footsteps, which was recorded at 8.39pm on August 28. As such, it has no recording of the day of the accident, August 30, exists.
The ferry sank shortly after leaving the new port of Kyrenia en route to the Turkish port of Tasucu, with 259 passengers and eight crew on board. A total of 27 people are confirmed to have died as a result of the accident, while one passenger, Suleyman Erdogan, remains unaccounted for.
Tom is the Cyprus Mail’s chief reporter. An award-winning journalist, he speaks four languages fluently, watches his local football team home and away, and is an avid traveller.