The 20 people who have been missing since Sunday’s sinking of the Filo Jet catamaran off Kyrenia are most likely trapped inside the sunken vessel, which lies 550 metres down on the seabed, authorities announced today.

The bodies of eight Turkish passengers were recovered hours after the ship went down; the cause of the catamaran sinking remains under investigation.

“Search operations are continuing for the 20 missing people we believe are inside the vessel,” said Ünal Üstel, ‘prime minister’ of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised as a state only by Turkey.

Two Turkish naval vessels reached the area yesterday and today, according to Turkish Cypriot authorities. Among their equipment, the two ships carry underwater drones capable of diving to depths of up to 1,000 metres.

“Robots are being used to map the area around the ship […] We hope these efforts will bear fruit by this evening,” Üstel said, according to Turkish news agency DHA.

The ship’s captain, who is being held in pre-trial detention along with seven other crew members and a company executive, told a judge that the vessel’s bow broke apart under the force of the waves a few miles after it left Kyrenia.