The captain of a ferry that capsized off northern Cyprus, leaving at least eight people dead, was ordered into police custody on Monday as rescuers continued to search for 20 others still missing, officials said.

The crowded ferry carrying 267 people capsized on Sunday about four nautical miles offshore shortly after leaving the port of Kyrenia.

Rescuers in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), pulled 239 people to safety, but eight others died "and the search continues for 20 people," said prime minister Unal Ustal.

All eight people who died were citizens of Turkey, as well as 18 of those who are missing, according to TRNC authorities. The other two missing are from Northern Cyprus, they said.

Police detained the captain and 15 others.

Nine of them appeared in court in Kyrenia, known as Girne in Turkish, charged with negligent homicide, as Northern Cyprus began three days of mourning, the official TAK news agency said.

Addressing the court, the captain and crew said the front of the vessel had been smashed open by the force of the waves, Turkey's Anadolu state news agency said.

The captain was remanded in custody.

TRNC president Tufan Erhurman told reporters divers were trying to retrieve data from the vessel's so-called "black box" in order to understand what caused the deadly incident.

"Divers were deployed today... and this effort will continue tomorrow as well," he said, vowing "to get to the bottom of every aspect". He stressed that the ferry company "will certainly be held accountable".

"Definitive information will likely be provided on Tuesday in the form of confirmed data," he said.

Khassim Diagne, the UN Secretary-General's representative in Cyprus, said he was "deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life" and extended his sincere condolences to the families affected. (AFP)


Edited by Aaron Tam