NICOSIA – A severe and extreme storm that struck Cyprus last weekend turned deadly. The violent weather ultimately resulted in tragedy in the waters off Cape Greco, where well-known Limassol businessman and former rally racing champion Dimis Mavropoulos, 76, was pulled dead from his boat after it ran aground on the rocks and was destroyed.
His daughter and partner were rescued from the boat and taken with injuries to Famagusta General Hospital.
The rough seas developed in the waters off Agioi Anargyroi, between Cape Greco and Konnos. Three boats encountered the turbulent seas, with two of them swept away and completely destroyed after running aground on the rocks, according to the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC). A rescue operation lasting several hours was mounted to save those aboard.
“A total of six people were recovered during the operation. The first person was rescued by a Famagusta Police Directorate patrol and is in good health. The helicopters recovered five people, two of whom are in good health and were released after receiving first aid, while two people are hospitalized at Famagusta General Hospital. One person, a Greek Cypriot, was recovered unconscious by helicopter and transported to Famagusta General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead,” the JRCC said in a statement.
Authorities are investigating the precise circumstances under which the vessels were struck and the tragedy occurred. Preliminary investigations indicate that the boats were caught by surprise by the rapid deterioration in the weather and the rough seas and were unable to react in time.
A Love for Limassol, the Sea and Cars
Dimis Mavropoulos was born in Limassol in 1949 and became closely associated with motor racing, business, and the city’s social life. He became involved in rally racing as a teenager and in 1969 began his professional career driving Ford and Mitsubishi cars. He subsequently raced with the Cyprus Chrysler/Talbot team and became one of the best-known drivers in the Cyprus rally championship.
His passion for automobiles culminated in the establishment of the Cyprus Motor Museum in Limassol in 2000, where he assembled a collection of rare and historic vehicles. At the same time, he played an active role in the city’s social and cultural life and maintained a longstanding commitment to contributing to the community.
His love for Limassol and everything associated with the city was well known, as was his passion for the carnival, in which he participated every year, on one occasion even serving as Carnival King.
News of Dimis Mavropoulos’ tragic death spread grief throughout Limassol, which is mourning one of its own.
Storm Leaves Trail of Destruction
The extreme weather that struck Cyprus was unprecedented. Severe thunderstorms, gale-force winds, hail and intense lightning caused flooded roads, fallen trees, and damage to buildings, crops, and the electricity network. The Pedieos River overflowed as a result of the intense weather, flooding roads in Nicosia.
In Limassol, roads turned into torrents, while in Pachna winds tore the roof off a livestock facility. Damage to greenhouses and photovoltaic installations was reported in Paphos, while beach umbrellas and lounge chairs were swept away along the coasts of Pomos, Argaka, and Agia Marina in the Paphos District.
A waterspout appeared off the coast of Larnaca, while a 45-year-old worker from Sri Lanka was taken to the hospital from Kato Drys with minor burns after being struck by lightning. The difficult conditions even resulted in temporary diversions of flights to airports outside Cyprus. Specifically, 11 flights bound for Larnaca and Paphos were diverted, with some landing in Rhodes and others in Lebanon.
In Kokkinotrimithia, lightning struck a wooden Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) utility pole carrying a transformer, sparking a fire in a large fenced area containing numerous old vehicles, household appliances and construction materials.
Many residents across the island were still without electricity the following day, with the Electricity Authority of Cyprus working to repair the damage and restore service following the chaos caused by the severe weather. EAC spokeswoman Christina Papadopoulou said crews remained on duty, while the Authority’s call center received 18,000 reports of outages and damage on Saturday alone.
President: State Will Help Address Problems
The state will provide assistance in addressing the problems caused by the severe weather, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides declared.
Speaking after a memorial service in Geri for heroes Ionas Nicolaou and Kyriakos Kolokasis and asked about the consequences of the storm, Christodoulides expressed sorrow over the “tragic loss of one of our compatriots” and stressed that “all the relevant services are on alert as of today so that we can determine how we can help address the challenges, problems and damage” caused by the severe weather.
“The state will stand by all our compatriots who need assistance,” he emphasized.
He also noted that “from very early on, beginning in the preceding days, the relevant authorities had been providing information about the developing situation.”