At least eight people have died and more than a dozen remain missing after a passenger boat capsized off northern Cyprus, according to Ünal Üstel, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Turkish republic there. The ferry, carrying 259 passengers and eight crew members, began taking on water after departing the coastal town of Kyrenia. The captain and seven crew members have been detained as part of an investigation into 'how this tragedy occurred,' Üstel wrote on social media, because apparently someone needs to explain why a boat with 267 people on board might capsize in choppy seas.

A search and rescue operation is underway, joined by Turkish authorities. The privately owned ferry left the popular holiday resort at about 12:30 local time (09:30 GMT), scheduled to travel to Turkey on Saturday but delayed due to poor weather - because what's a holiday without a little maritime risk? Üstel told TRT that the boat was hit by two waves before capsizing; the captain was still recovering from the first wave when the second hit. Helicopters and coastguard boats have been dispatched, while ambulances wait on the beach like concerned parents at a school pickup.

Üstel said the 'priority right now is human life,' adding that security forces, rescue teams, and health officials are all on the scene. He vowed the disaster will be thoroughly investigated and 'even the slightest negligence will be uncovered,' promising, 'No one will be spared, regardless of who they are, who is found to be at fault or responsible' - a bold statement from a government that's not even internationally recognized.

Erhan Arikli, transport minister of the TRNC (recognized only by Turkey, because Cyprus has been divided since 1974 and nothing says 'legitimate' like a country that only one other country acknowledges), said 100 passengers had been taken to shore. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent condolences and said search efforts 'continue uninterrupted,' because nothing says 'compassion' like a military ceremony.

Mustafa Koc, a local hero, saved around 65 people with his boat. He told the BBC the crew should have waited for calmer seas: 'It wasn't safe for them. The sea was quite choppy.' He added, 'People died. It's not right' - a sentiment that should have occurred to the crew before departure. Koc noted the boat had arrived in Kyrenia on Saturday with 'some damage in the front,' which is never a good sign.

The ferry, a high-speed 40m long, 10m wide Filo Jet vessel, sails under the flag of Turkey, according to Marine Traffic. By Sunday evening, the ship had completely sunk, leaving only the upside-down hull as a grim monument. Filo Denizcilik, the operating company, said it was 'deeply saddened by the tragic accident' - a corporate press release that does little for the families of the missing. A hotline has been set up for relatives, though the nationalities of those aboard and the status of the injured remain unclear. Local television showed people in life vests atop the hull, waiting for help that, for some, never came.