04.11.2026 14:02
Families who lost relatives in the ship disaster off Kyrenia in the TRNC on August 30, in which 27 people died, filed a criminal complaint with the Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Lawyers drew attention to the claim that the ship was sent on the voyage despite adverse weather conditions. The father of 3-year-old Asel said he had not heard from his daughter for 66 days, while the father of Özgür Gönül, who lost his life, stated that he thought his son was not in his own grave.
Relatives who lost their loved ones in the ship accident that occurred off the coast of Girne in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on August 30, in which 27 people lost their lives and 3-year-old Anni Asel Hilaloğlu remains missing, filed a criminal complaint with the Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and demanded that those responsible for the disaster be identified.
Those who lost their relatives in the ship accident in Girne and their lawyers came together at Özgür Children's Park in Mersin and called for all those responsible for the disaster to be brought to light. Making a statement on behalf of the families, Lawyer Berkan Aydoğan noted that, as representatives of the families who lost their relatives and of the survivors, they had filed a criminal complaint with the Mersin Chief Public Prosecutor's Office today, and said, “The purpose of our application is to reveal not only what happened in the ship's final minutes, but the entire decision-making and responsibility process extending to the ship's departure on that voyage. In our application, we requested that the conditions for conducting an investigation in Turkey and territorial jurisdiction be evaluated separately. We requested investigation of the location of acts and omissions that may have occurred in Turkey, and of the suspects' apprehension, residence, and address situations in Turkey. Our aim is not to prejudge the issue of jurisdiction. Our aim is to ensure that, while this assessment is made, evidence is not lost and responsibility links in Turkey are not left uninvestigated,” he said.
THE SHIP'S TECHNICAL CONDITION BEFORE THE VOYAGE
Emphasizing that they are following the judicial process conducted in the TRNC, Aydoğan said, “We are not disregarding this process. We want effective judicial cooperation to be established between the Turkish and TRNC authorities and the personal and factual scope of the existing files to be determined. However, the fact that an investigation is being conducted in one place should not be used as a justification for not investigating other people's different decisions and omissions. Our demand is that responsibility not be limited only to the captain and crew. If the decision was made on board, it should be investigated on board; if it was made at the company headquarters, at the company headquarters; if it was made during the maintenance or inspection process, in that process. We have to learn why a ship sank. However, we have to learn not only what happened in the final minutes, but also how those final minutes were reached. Therefore, we want the following questions to be answered with documents and expert examinations. What was the ship's technical condition before the voyage? When, by whom, and with what findings were its maintenance, repair and inspections carried out? Was there a previously reported malfunction, a problem with taking on water, or any other condition affecting safety? If there was such a notification, who received it and what actions were taken in response? What was the division of duties between companies in Turkey and the TRNC in terms of maintenance, technical management, agency and voyage organization? On the basis of what information and whose authority was the voyage decision made? Were emergency and evacuation facilities sufficient, and how were they used during the incident? What was the effect of the deficiencies to be identified on the sinking, evacuation and loss of life? These are questions we ask not to declare guilt in advance, but to reach the material truth. For this purpose, we request that the companies' registry and representation records as of the date of the incident, maintenance and repair documents, technical reports, inspection records, company correspondence, and voyage and communication data be preserved and examined without delay,” he said.
THERE IS VERY SERIOUS NEGLIGENCE AND FAULT
Lawyer Yusuf Gümüş, stating that most of those who died in the accident were Turkish citizens, explained the reasons for the criminal complaint as follows:
“The relatives of the missing have concerns that an effective investigation will not be conducted in Cyprus. Filing the criminal complaint in Mersin is a justified demand. The available findings regarding the accident, eyewitnesses, and video recordings point to very serious negligence and fault. We will present all of these to the esteemed prosecutor's office. There are claims that the ship was sent on the voyage despite adverse weather conditions. These are extremely grave claims and must certainly be clarified through an effective investigation. No compensation, no punishment here can bring back a lost child, mother, father or sibling. However, families have every right to learn why they lost their loved ones, to demand that those responsible be brought before justice, and to see them held accountable.”
I THINK MY SON IS NOT IN HIS OWN GRAVE
Gökmen Gönül, the father of Özgür Gönül, who lost his life, said, “As the father of Özgür Gönül, we requested an exhumation of that grave. In other words, I think my son is not in his own grave. Work has been initiated on this. That is, we think they mixed up the people there. We also applied to the Ministry of Justice regarding this. In other words, we have not even been able to put our child in a grave yet. We want this justice to continue in Turkey.”
MY DAUGHTER HAS BEEN MISSING FOR 66 DAYS
Salim Hilaloğlu, the father of 3-year-old Asel, who has been missing since the ship accident, also noted that his daughter's grave has been open for 66 days and said, “She is waiting to be buried next to her mother. It is now being said that it is no longer possible for her to be found. In other words, this is probably the last thing a father should hear. My daughter has been missing for 66 days. She is 3 years old and innocent. A tiny little girl. Every day I probably receive thousands of messages. They say, ‘Let that little girl be found; it is a shame, let that angel be found.’ Is my daughter still at the bottom of the sea? Or will she wash up on a shore? So what will happen? What am I going to do?” he said.