‘She slipped out of my hand’: Couple’s two children missing after ferry capsizes

Ayten Bicer said her 12-year-old daughter slipped from her grasp after a ferry capsized off northern Cyprus, leaving the girl and her six-year-old brother among 20 people still missing.

Bicer and her husband, Hayri, survived the Sunday disaster while traveling from Kyrenia to Turkey after a holiday. She told reporters that a suitcase struck her and forced her daughter from her grip. When she caught the girl’s foot, oil from the overturned vessel made it impossible to hold on.

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She was saying, 'Don't let go'. And I didn't let go of my daughter. I swear, I didn't let her go.

“She slipped out of my hand,” Bicer said through tears. Her husband said, “Two of my three children are gone. We left them. We are leaving them on this island as we go.”

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It was slippery everywhere. It was like oil. She slipped out of my hand.

The ferry carried 259 passengers and eight crew members. Eight people died, while 19 passengers received hospital treatment in northern Cyprus. The vessel had been due to sail on Saturday, but severe storms delayed its departure, and the seas remained rough on Sunday.

The ferry’s captain and the other seven crew members, along with another man, were arrested on Monday for three days. Warrants were issued for several other people. Officials said the 40-metre Filo Jet sank to a depth of 514 metres. Authorities are trying to recover its black box, while a ship from Turkey is due to join the search. Northern Cyprus began three days of national mourning.

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Two of my three children are gone. We left them. We are leaving them on this island as we go.