A tragic incident off the coast of Girne led to the loss of Şerif Özdemir, a mother of two. The remains of the 67-year-old Özdemir, recovered from the wreckage of the passenger ship “Filo Jet” that sank on August 30, were taken to be buried in Silifke, Mersin.
The funeral ceremony took place at the cemetery in Nuru Neighborhood of Silifke. Attendees included Özdemir’s family and relatives, as well as CHP Mersin Deputy Gülcan Kış, Silifke District Governor Eyüp Fırat, Silifke Deputy Mayor Oğuzhan Kökten, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Consul in Mersin, Ülkü Alemdar. After the funeral prayer, Şerif Özdemir was laid to rest beside her husband, Hüseyin Özdemir (69).
Şerif and Hüseyin Özdemir, along with their son-in-law Hakkı Şahin, were traveling to attend a wedding in Northern Cyprus. They tragically lost their lives when the ship sank on their return journey. Son-in-law Hakkı Şahin reported that the ship began taking on water before departure, yet the captain continued on despite warnings.
Shahin recounted, “We told the captain ‘Don’t set sail!’, but he wouldn’t listen. We encountered bad weather and managed to stay on the ship for about an hour. While trying to save my wife, we couldn’t rescue my father-in-law and mother-in-law; may God have mercy on them.” Following the incident, Hakkı Şahin stated, “I want Filo Maritime to cease operations to prevent such accidents in the future.”
Source: www.diyaloggazetesi.com
