ISTANBUL, August 30. /TASS/. As many as 237 from the catamaran that sank off northern Cyprus have been rescued, seven died, Prime Minister of the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Unal Ustel said.

"As of now, 237 people have been saved. Seven died. The search for 23 others continues," he told the TRT Haber television channel.

According to Ustel, all of those rescued are in satisfactory condition. He also said that there were foreign citizens among the vessel’s 267 passengers.

The vessel was caught in a storm shortly after setting sail, began to take on water and capsized.