At least six people died after a passenger boat carrying around 270 people capsized off North Cyprus on Sunday. A search and rescue operations are currently underway, according to Turkish Cypriot media reports cited by Reuters.

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Catamaran-Style Vessel Began Taking Water Four Miles Offshore

The catamaran-style vessel was travelling from the port of Kyrenia (Girne) in Northern Cyprus to the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin province when it began taking on water approximately four miles off the shore, news agency AP reported. Ambulances had been dispatched to the scene.

"All necessary preparations are being made for a swift response from rescue and health services," the Health Ministry of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus said in a statement to AFP.

Northern Cyprus Transportation Minister Erhan Arikli told Turkish state-run TRT news channel that the ferry had overturned, with rescue crews already on the scene. About 100 passengers have been rescued and brought back to Kyrenia so far while search operations continue, Bloomberg reported.

"We don’t know what caused the vessel to take on water," Arikli stated.

While many companies run ferries along the busy route connecting Kyrenia and Tasucu, authorities have not yet confirmed which company operated the vessel that capsized.

Boat Capsizes Off Tunisian Coast

In an incident, a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of southern Tunisia, killing at least two people and leaving 12 missing, Tunisia's National Guard reported. One survivor was rescued from the water.

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National Guard spokesperson Houssem Eddine Jebabli stated that search teams recovered two bodies and transferred them to a hospital on the nearby island of Djerba. Speaking to national radio station Mosaique FM, Jebabli stated that approximately 15 people were believed to be aboard the vessel when it departed between the coastal cities of Zarzis and Ben Guerdane.

(With Inputs From Agencies)

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