TCG Işın, the First to Arrive, Located the Wreck Using Advanced Sonar and Anchored With Four Separate Anchors Directly Above It.

Rescue ships Alemdar and Işın, capable of recovering sunken ships and submarines in deep waters, began operations off Girne, Cyprus, on Tuesday. TCG Işın, the first to arrive, located the wreck using advanced sonar and anchored with four separate anchors directly above it. TCG Alemdar, equipped with the same technology, arrived a day later to provide support.

On the day the ship sank with 467 passengers and crew, 439 people were rescued, 8 bodies were found, and 20 people were reported missing. Işın recovered the first body on Wednesday. İsmail Kurt (41), a Hatay Reyhanlı native living in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), was brought to the surface using an underwater robot capable of descending to 3,000 meters.

The two ships continued recovering bodies one after another. The day before, the body of Elmas Demir (58), a Mersin native living in Eskişehir, was found, and on Thursday morning, the bodies of Şerife Özdemir and Nazmiye Özbolat were recovered. Rear Admiral Baybars Küçükatay, Commander of the Southern Naval Area, speaking aboard TCG Alemdar, noted that Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean fall within their area of responsibility, and said operations continue with 9 ships and 11 naval aircraft in the region. Meanwhile, the TRNC Ministry of Interior extended the nationwide music and entertainment ban until Wednesday, September 9, at 00:00.