An eight-year-old Russian girl survived a ferry sinking off Northern Cyprus that left eight people dead and her parents missing, Russian news outlet RT reported.
The child was rescued by an unidentified man after the ferry carrying 259 passengers sank off the coast of Girne on August 30. Her 36-year-old mother, Yulia, and her Turkish father disappeared after the vessel went down.
Yulia, who is originally from Tolyatti, an industrial city located along the Volga River in western Russia, has lived in Turkey for approximately ten years. She had traveled to the coastal port of Girne with her husband and daughter for a weekend getaway.
On the day of the disaster, the young girl sent a message to her grandmother telling her that everything was fine and that the family was departing for home aboard the ferry.
Rescue of the child and missing parents
Following the sinking of the vessel near the shore, an unknown man managed to rescue the eight-year-old girl from the sea. However, both of her parents remained missing as the ferry submerged.
Authorities confirmed that eight people died in the maritime tragedy, including one Russian woman. Emergency crews were dispatched to search the area for surviving passengers and victims.
The surviving child was taken to a local hospital where medical professionals conducted a thorough examination. Her grandmother expressed relief that her granddaughter was spared, adding that doctors found the girl to be in good physical health.
Her grandmother noted that while the child was currently in a stable psychological state, she was anxiously waiting for news that her mother and father had been found.
The girl was unable to provide details to her family or rescuers about what triggered the disaster on board the vessel or how her parents vanished during the sinking.
Ferry route between Northern Cyprus and Turkey
The ferry was en route from Girne to the southern Turkish port of Tasucu when the disaster occurred. Girne, located on the northern coast of Cyprus, serves as a primary port for passenger ferry traffic operating across the Mediterranean Sea.
The destination port of Tasucu is situated in Mersin Province on the southern coast of Turkey. The maritime link between Girne and Tasucu is one of the main sea routes connecting the island of Northern Cyprus with the Turkish mainland.
Authorities have not yet released details regarding the cause of the sinking, and search efforts for the missing parents remain ongoing.
