02.09.2026 16:00
The sacrifices of Gülcan Gürel and Gendarmerie Specialist Sergeant Fahri Ateş, who lost their lives in the ferry disaster off the coast of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, in their final moments broke hearts. While Gürel put the only life jacket she had on her 9-year-old daughter, Ateş, after bringing his wife and 4-year-old son to the deck, returned to the lower deck of the ship to get a lifebuoy. The mother and father, who saved their children's lives, were sent off on their final journey with tears in Mersin.
Heartbreaking stories of heroism emerged following the ferry disaster that occurred off the coast of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on August 30, which claimed the lives of 8 people and left 20 missing.
It was learned that Gülcan Gürel, who lost her life in the accident, put the only life jacket she had on her 9-year-old daughter, and that Gendarmerie Specialist Sergeant Fahri Ateş, after getting his wife and son to the deck, went down to the lower deck to find life preservers for them and was submerged in the waters. These two hero parents were bid farewell on their final journey amidst tears in Mersin.
SHE PUT THE ONLY LIFE JACKET ON HER 9-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER Gülcan Gürel, who worked as a cleaning staff member at Mersin City Training and Research Hospital, was caught in the disaster on the ship she boarded with her father, sister, and her 9-year-old daughter Tusem, while returning from visiting her brother, a specialist sergeant on duty in the TRNC. During the panic when the ship began to capsize, Gürel displayed a great act of sacrifice by putting the only life jacket given to her on her daughter Tusem.
According to her colleagues, shortly after entrusting her daughter to her father, Gürel disappeared beneath the waters. In the accident, little Tusem and her aunt Eda Payam survived, while the injured grandfather Bayram Payam received treatment in the TRNC. Gürel, remembered by her colleagues with the words, "I'll go for a trip and come back; when I return, I'll see you first," was laid to rest at Mersin Güneykent Cemetery after a ceremony held in the garden of the hospital where she worked. Her 9-year-old daughter Tusem, who survived thanks to her mother's sacrifice, also attended the ceremony.
HE GOT HIS WIFE AND SON TO THE DECK, WAS TRAPPED WHEN HE WENT TO GET LIFE PRESERVERS The final moments of 28-year-old Gendarmerie Specialist Sergeant Fahri Ateş, who lost his life in the disaster, involved a similar act of sacrifice. Ateş, who had gone on holiday to the TRNC with his wife Ayça and his 4-year-old son Atabey during his annual leave, upon noticing the ship taking on water during the return journey, first took his family and brought them to the safe area on the deck.
After securing his family, Ateş went down to the lower part of the ship to get life preservers for them, and during this time, as the ship rapidly capsized, he became trapped and lost his life. The young Specialist Sergeant's body, draped in the Turkish flag, was bid farewell on his final journey with prayers during a ceremony attended by military officials and his family in the Erdemli district of Mersin.
SEARCH AND RESCUE EFFORTS CONTINUE In the ship that was operating between Girne and Taşucu and capsized after taking on water from its front section on August 30, 241 people have been rescued alive so far, and the lifeless bodies of 8 people have been reached. Search efforts for the 20 missing people continue uninterrupted, 24 hours a day, at the ship's wreckage located at a depth of 550 meters.