Filo Jet shipwreck: Father pleads for search for missing daughter

Salim Hilaloğlu, a resident of Siverek, Şanlıurfa, is calling for renewed search efforts to find his 3-year-old daughter, Anni Asel, who has been missing for 66 days following the Filo Jet shipwreck. The incident occurred on August 30, 2026, off the coast of Kyrenia during a return trip from Northern Cyprus.

The shipwreck resulted in 28 fatalities. Hilaloğlu’s wife, Nurcan, died in the disaster, while his 6-year-old son, Miran Asaf, was rescued from the vessel with serious leg injuries. Hilaloğlu described the harrowing experience of attempting to keep his children above rising waters as the ship tilted.

Expressing his grief in Mersin, Hilaloğlu noted that he has prepared a grave for his daughter next to her mother’s. He has criticized local authorities in Northern Cyprus regarding the cessation of search operations, urging officials to continue the search for the young girl.