The north’s ’transport minister’ Erhan Arikli on Monday promised that he will resign from his post “if necessary” after a passenger ferry sank off the coast of Kyrenia the previous day, but said that he will wait until the boat’s black box is recovered and for its findings to be made clear before making a decision on his future.

“I will resign if necessary, but trying to attack someone from the very beginning is unethical. Be patient. Once the black box is found, everyone, including myself, will bear whatever political responsibility there may be,” he told the north’s public broadcaster BRT.

Efforts will be made to recover the black box on Tuesday when the Turkish deep-sea search-and-rescue vessel the TCG Isin arrives in the area, having set sail from Canakkale in the Dardanelles on Sunday.

He added that the number of missing people was “unlikely to increase” from the figure of 18 which had been announced on Sunday night, but sources close to the matter later told the Cyprus Mail that 20 people had in fact been reported missing, producing a list of 20 names.

Additionally, he confirmed that all ferry services between Kyrenia and the Turkish port of Tasucu had been suspended, but said that services between Famagusta and Tasucu remain in operation.

The ferry capsized with 259 passengers and eight crew onboard shortly after leaving the new port of Kyrenia at around 12.10pm on Sunday en route to the Turkish port of Tasucu.

A total of eight people are known to have died as a result of the accident