TRNC Prime Minister Üstel: The remains of two more of our people have been found in the search operations

Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Ünal Üstel made a statement regarding the ongoing search operations off the coast of Kyrenia. Üstel said, “The remains of two more of our people have been found in the search operations conducted after the maritime accident off the coast of Kyrenia. It has been determined that both remains found as a result of the search activities carried out in deep waters by our ships TCG IŞIN and TCG ALEMDAR, affiliated with the Turkish Naval Forces, are women. Identification efforts have been initiated by our Police Force. With the two remains found, the number of our people who lost their lives in the accident has risen to 12. Our search activities continue uninterrupted 24/7 with the strong support of the Republic of Turkey and the participation of all our relevant units to reach our 16 missing people.”

Üstel stated that all teams involved in the search operations will continue their efforts with the same determination and sensitivity to reach the missing persons, and said, “We thank the Republic of Turkey, the Turkish Naval Forces Command, and the Commander of the Naval Forces Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu, the Turkish Peace Forces Command, and our Security Forces Command, who have been with us from the very first moment in this challenging process. Likewise, we express our gratitude to the commanders and personnel of our ships TCG IŞIN and TCG ALEMDAR, and to all our military and civilian teams who have been working with great dedication day and night in the search operations. We wish God's mercy upon those who lost their lives, and patience to their grieving families and relatives. Once again, our nation is in mourning.”