Moment panicked ferry passengers rush to get lifejackets before vessel sinks off Cyprus leaving 8 dead & 17 missing

THIS is the horror moment panicked ferry passengers scramble to get life jackets before the vessel sank off the coast of Cyprus, killing eight people. Terrifying footage shows chaos break out below deck as the boat begins to take on water, with a crowd rushing to reach a pile of lifejackets. Terrifying footage shows chaos break out on board as the boat begins to take on water Credit: X Men women and children desperately pulled the lifejackets over their heads Credit: X Women, men and children desperately pulled the bright orange vests around their heads before making a run for the emergency exits. The screams and cries of passengers overcome with fear can be heard in the frantic clip. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Nearly 20 people remain missing after the ferry packed with 267 people capsized just off the port city of Kyrenia on Sunday. The Sun has learned that a number of dual citizens holding British and Cypriot passports are likely to have been on board. Passengers weave past one another as some make a break for the exit Credit: X Panicked passengers push their way to the stairs to make it up to the top deck Credit: X One well-placed source said: ” We have reason to believe that a number of dual citizens, Turkish Cypriots with UK and Republic of Cyprus passports, may have been on board.” The Filo Jet vessel was ferrying 258 passengers and several crew members from Kyrenia (Girne) to the Turkish port of Taşucu when disaster struck. The vessel quickly faced turbulent weather conditions and started taking on water a few miles off the coast, according to Turkish state-run TRT news. The express passenger ship then capsized around four miles north of Kyrenia, leaving survivors clinging to the overturned hull. Most read in The Sun Footage shows the ferry had turned completely upside-down in the water Credit: Özgür Gazete Passengers stand on the capsized vessel in life jackets Credit: Kibris Gazetesi Babies and young children were among the passengers onboard the ferry when it capsized. Among the first to abandon ship was the captain, according to survivors, who was later arrested alongside seven crew members. Other survivors told Turkish media how the captain ignored their warnings that the boat was taking on water. A massive search and rescue operation continues with officials desperately trying to locate the missing. Fears are growing that some of the missing may be trapped on board the sunken vessel which is now sat almost 1,700ft below the water. Rescue crews say the extreme depth and poor weather is making dives down to the shipwreck challenging. More than 70 people have been hospitalised. The cause of the capsizing is not yet known, but one passenger told local media a blast went off at the bow of the ferry before it rolled over. A passenger is rescued from the boat by dive teams Credit: Reuters The rescued passenger said once ashore: “The front part exploded, they tried to turn around and the side windows blew out. The boat starting taking on water.” Survivor Efe Multici told CNN Türk: “The ⁠vessel had been moving very badly. “It was constantly lifting out of the water and slamming back down. It was shaking violently.” A heroic businessman who helped to safely rescue 50 people from drowning in the choppy waters has described the horrors he saw during the tragic accident. Firat Gencer told MYK Haber: “It was a life and death struggle in the sea. “People were begging, ‘save me’.” Eight people have died, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Unal Ustel told Turkish media. Just four of the victims have been identified so far with the families of the remaining missing passengers facing a heartbreaking wait for answers. Ustel called the maritime tragedy one of the worst in the Mediterranean island’s history. The TRNC, which is recognised only by Turkey, controls the northern third of the island of Cyprus, which has been divided since 1974. Ankara occupied that part of the island in response to an Athens-engineered Greek Cypriot coup seeking union with Greece. Comment now