“DON’T LET GO”: HEARTBROKEN MOM REVEALS THE TERRIFYING FINAL MOMENTS WITH HER TWO CHILDREN AS FERRY CAPSIZES OFF CYPRUS

“Don’t let go.”

Those were the heartbreaking words a mother remembers hearing from her 12-year-old daughter as a ferry suddenly capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus.

Ayten Bicer was desperately holding onto her daughter, 12-year-old Saliha, as the passenger ferry began to overturn.

She refused to let go.

But within seconds, a suitcase struck the girl and broke her mother’s grip.

Ayten managed to grab her daughter’s foot.

Then it slipped away.

“I didn’t let go of my daughter. I swear, I didn’t let her go,” the devastated mother said.

She said diesel and engine oil had spread across the vessel, making everything dangerously slippery.

“It was slipping like oil,” she recalled. “Our feet were slippery. It was slippery everywhere.”

Her daughter disappeared into the water.

HER SIX-YEAR-OLD SON WAS ALSO LOST

Ayten’s husband, Hayri Bicer, was fighting his own desperate battle.

Their six-year-old son, Mehmet, was also swept away during the chaos.

The couple managed to survive alongside their 10-year-old son, Halil.

But two of their children were gone.

“We lost our children,” Hayri said.

“We made a lot of effort but we couldn’t save our children.”

The family was left waiting at the port as rescue teams searched the waters for any sign of the missing passengers.

267 PEOPLE WERE ON THE FERRY

The Filo Jet ferry was traveling from Kyrenia, northern Cyprus, toward Taşucu in southern Turkey when disaster struck on Sunday.

Authorities say the vessel was carrying 267 people — 259 passengers and eight crew members.

The ferry began taking on water shortly after leaving port before eventually capsizing.

Survivors were left clinging to the overturned hull until nearby vessels and rescue crews reached them.

At least eight people have been confirmed dead, while the number of missing was revised to 20 after authorities reconciled passenger records with the survivors.

THE SEARCH HAS NOW MOVED INTO DEEP WATER

The sunken ferry is lying more than 500 meters — roughly 1,640 feet — beneath the surface, making the search extraordinarily difficult.

On Tuesday, a specialized Turkish deep-sea search team arrived to assist local authorities.

Investigators hope that underwater searches and recovery of the vessel’s black box will help establish exactly what happened during the ferry’s final minutes.

There are also questions about the vessel’s condition and the decisions made before and during the emergency.

Authorities have detained the captain, crew members and another person connected with the ferry’s operation while the investigation continues.

Officials have said the ferry had a valid seaworthiness certificate, while survivors have raised allegations about safety procedures and the crew’s response. Those claims remain under investigation.

A FAMILY WAITING FOR ANSWERS

Outside the port, families of missing passengers have been left with an agonizing wait.

For Ayten and Hayri Bicer, the questions are painfully personal.

Their 10-year-old son survived.

Their two younger children remain among those missing.

And a mother is left replaying the moment she tried desperately to hold onto her daughter.

She grabbed her hand.

Then her foot.

But the slippery deck, the chaos and the force of the capsizing vessel became too much.

“Don’t let go.”

Those words now remain with her as rescuers continue searching the deep waters below.

The investigation continues — but for families still waiting at the port, every minute brings another agonizing question:

Will their loved ones ever be brought home?