“Get the child out”: the last known words of the 20-year-old passenger who disappeared after the Filo Jet disaster

20-year-old Süleyman Erdoğan remains among the 20 people missing after the Filo Jet passenger vessel disaster off the coast of Kyrenia. According to his family, the young man was already preparing to leave the stricken vessel when he noticed two little girls and returned to help them.

The tragedy occurred on 30 August. The high-speed passenger vessel Filo Jet was travelling from Kyrenia to Taşucu in Turkey’s Mersin province. Shortly after leaving the port, the vessel began taking on water, capsized and sank. There were 267 passengers and crew members on board. According to the latest confirmed data, eight people died and 20 remain missing. The causes of the disaster are under investigation.

Among those missing is 20-year-old Süleyman Erdoğan, who lived with his family in Northern Cyprus and was travelling to Mersin with a friend. His 23-year-old sister, Aslı Erdoğan, said that during the disaster her brother initially helped other passengers evacuate.

According to Aslı, when Süleyman was already preparing to leave the vessel, he saw two little girls. The young man told his friend to wait and went back for the children. He managed to get the first girl out. He then tried to help the second, but at that very moment the vessel began to sink completely.

The family was told that, while trying to save the second girl, Süleyman handed the child to someone nearby and said: «Çocuğu çıkar» — «Get the child out». The young man disappeared afterwards. His sister stresses that the family still does not know whether he managed to escape from the vessel himself.

The search operation is continuing. The specialised Turkish Navy vessel TCG Işın, equipped with a remotely operated deep-sea vehicle, has arrived at the disaster site from Turkey. Rescuers are surveying the seabed at depths of more than 500 metres. On 1 September, an object was found at a depth of around 550 metres which, according to the authorities’ preliminary assessment, may be the sunken Filo Jet. At the time of the report, its identity as the vessel had yet to be definitively confirmed.

The investigation into the causes of the disaster is also continuing. In connection with the tragedy, the authorities are examining the circumstances of the voyage and the actions of those involved in operating the vessel. Several people, including crew members and company representatives, have been detained or brought into the investigation.

For Süleyman Erdoğan’s family, the search has particular significance. As rescuers continue working in difficult conditions at great depth, the relatives of the 20-year-old are still waiting for news and hoping to learn what happened to him.