The passage of the extreme storm that hit Cyprus was deadly. Rescue teams from the Search and Rescue Coordination Center recovered a dead man on Saturday afternoon who was aboard one of the boats that sank in the Cape Greco area.
A major search operation was launched in the afternoon to locate him, after five other people on three boats were rescued. The man was eventually found unconscious by divers and taken by helicopter to hospital, where doctors on duty pronounced him dead.
Extreme weather conditions prevailed in the area, resulting in the JCC being informed that three boats in the bay between Konnos and Agioi Anargyroi in Cape Greco were in danger of sinking. Initially, a boat declared as a coastal tourist boat sank and a person on board was rescued.
Unmanned aerial vehicles and a helicopter rushed to the scene and rescued two people from a second pleasure boat in which the unfortunate man was also aboard. The boat subsequently sank and the man was considered missing and searches were launched to locate him.
At the same time, two other people were rescued from a third boat, which was in danger of sinking.
Investigations in the area will continue tomorrow to determine the causes of the tragedy. Members of the Fisheries Department will also be in the area at first light, weather permitting, to conduct tests to determine if there is oil pollution in the sea.
