Chilling video from inside a passenger ferry shows travelers scrambling for life jackets … just moments before the vessel capsized and sank off the coast of Cyprus.

The footage shows panic spreading as passengers hurriedly pull on life vests and prepare to abandon ship … shortly after the ferry began taking on water Sunday.

The vessel was carrying 267 people — 259 passengers and eight crew members — from Kyrenia in northern Cyprus to Taşucu, Turkey, when it ran into trouble just a few miles offshore.

Authorities say the ferry began taking on water from the bow shortly after leaving port … before eventually capsizing and sinking more than 1,600 feet beneath the surface.

The disaster has left at least eight people dead and 18 others missing, while 241 people were rescued from the water.

A massive search-and-rescue operation remains underway … involving coast guard crews, military vessels, helicopters and emergency personnel from northern Cyprus and Turkey.

The ferry’s captain and several crew members have been taken into custody as authorities investigate what caused the vessel to go down. A company employee has also been detained and appeared in court Monday.

Investigators are also looking into disturbing claims from survivors … including allegations some doors aboard the ferry were locked and that crew members ignored early warnings that the vessel was taking on water.