Every part of the sunken ship has been searched and no more bodies have been found inside, the "Prime Minister", Unal Ustel, announced today, after the renewal of the detention order of the 9 suspects of the August 30 shipwreck, provoking the reaction of relatives of missing persons and victims who are demanding justice.
As reported in the occupied territories, Mr. Ustel also announced that the navigation data recorder (VDR) was located today and handed over to the "police" for examination.
Mr. Ustel met today with the families of the missing and informed them about the latest developments in the investigations.
A written statement by Unal Ustel said that at today's presentation, informing relatives, Orhan Taktak, owner of the Deep Water company, provided detailed information about the investigations. Images were shown showing how the interior of the ship was searched and how each section was accessed by cutting it.
"There is no area left that has not been searched on the ship. Extensive searches have not revealed any other bodies inside the ship. The body found last week was also recovered under extremely difficult conditions. However, our search is not over. We continue our efforts in the air, on land and at sea to find any bodies that may be found under water or on the surface," the statement added.
This information caused the reaction of relatives who, according to Yeni Duzen's website, believe that they have been ridiculed for days and demand that their relatives be found to proceed with burial.
In the meantime, for another 7 days, the 9 suspects in the shipwreck were detained, who for the 5th time were before the "district court" of Kyrenia, while dozens of relatives of victims and missing persons were outside it.
The "police investigator" told the "court" that on the second captain's cell phone they discovered photos in a WhatsApp chat dated June 17, 2026, showing a broken left front bridge. They also noted photos of the ship being repaired by the crew, emphasizing that the place in question was critical and required repair by specialists.
He added that the port authorities or Turkish Lloyd (which issued the certificate of unsuitability) were not informed of the damage. He also noted that they are still looking for a company partner, Who was authorized to oversee maintenance and repairs.
It was also reported that some suspects (crew members) gave voluntary statements and confirmed that the ship had been damaged in the past.
At a press conference in front of the Kyrenia "court", the families held photos of their loved ones and banners that read "Not an accident, but a murder", "They didn't die, they were killed", "They took away their dreams", "We demand justice" and "Our hearts are burning", expressing their demand for justice.
Dilek Özbilen, who lost her mother in the shipwreck, said that while "some sleep comfortably in their homes, we, the families, are waiting on the port road for the bodies of our children, brothers, wives, mothers and fathers. We are not causing unrest here. We don't start fights. We are just asking for information."
The only consolation for families now is to recover the bodies of their lost loved ones, bring them back and bury them, he said, adding that they demand that search efforts be carried out much more quickly and intensively, and that families be provided with comprehensive and official information at least every other day.
She raised the questions of whether there were enough life jackets on the ship, whether the evacuation was carried out as it should, wondering "if the evacuation had been done correctly and on time, would we still be here today waiting for the bodies of our 13 loved ones, including a 3-year-old baby? The captain and crew are before the court. But where are the company managers? Where are the company's employees? Is the responsibility of the port administration being investigated? Is the responsibility of the competent transport authorities on duty at the time of the tragedy being investigated? Who conducted which inspection? Who approved the trip? Who didn't see any problem with the departure of this ship?"
Drawing attention to the fact that the crack in the left forward bridge of the ship became known on June 17, and that information about the repairs made came to light during the court proceedings, he wondered who inspected the ship if such a problem was known.
Dilek Özbilen said that they now want concrete answers, not just explanations, and demanded that it be revealed who made mistakes, who neglected their duties and who did not inspect, ignore or intervene in time and that all of them be held accountable before the law.
