The tragedy of the "Ilios" plane crash in August 2005, in which 115 passengers and six crew members lost their lives, was described by the Minister of Health, Michalis Hatzipantela, as unprecedented for Cyprus.
In his memorial speech at the annual commemoration of the victims of the "Helios" plane crash originating from Paralimni that took place this morning at the Metropolitan Church of Agios Georgios, in Paralimni, Mr. Hadjipantela said that "17 years have passed today since the unspeakable tragedy that left an indelible mark on our country in the tragic summer of 2005. The crash of the Helios Airways plane, which was flying from Larnaca airport to Prague and had a stopover at "Eleftherios Venizelos" airport, shook the souls of all of us".
He added that "the great evil, which led to the mourning of the families of the 115 passengers and the six-member crew of the aircraft, happened on the outskirts of the village of Grammatikos, north of Attica. Entire families were uprooted, while many children lost their parents and became orphans."
The Minister noted that "the mourning was particularly heavy for the Municipality of Paralimni, which mourned a total of 12 permanent residents and four others originally from Paralimni and residing in Limassol. Two whole families, Christos Pirillis and Antonis Antoniou, were lost in the wreckage of the plane, as well as three members of the Koutsoftas family, who left behind the then two-year-old Vassilis."
Since then, he continued, "the pain and sadness from the irreplaceable void of the loss of their own people, accompanies the relatives of the victims. Despite the 17 years that have passed, the drama, the pain, the bitterness and the anger for the unjust loss of so many people, continues to torment the relatives and friends of the victims as well as the entire Cypriot society" he said and noted that "the tragic this event, which shocked the whole of Greece, became a cause and an occasion to highlight timeless problems, inadequacies, unjustified mistakes and omissions, which had the sad result of that fatal flight".
Referring to the tragedy, the Minister described it as "unprecedented for our country. In August 2005, on the eve of the great feast of the Virgin Mary, this unimaginable disaster, which unexpectedly led to the death of 121 innocent souls, clothed the families of the victims in Greece and Cyprus in black".
He also noted that "the euphoria of the summer holidays and the heartfelt wishes of relatives for a 'good trip', when they said goodbye to their loved ones for the last time, turned a few hours later into a nightmare and a long, sad list, which seemed endless, filled with names of people of all ages."
The government stated that the Minister of Health "showed in practice its interest and support to the families, with an amount of 3 million euros, as a minimum due compensation in memory of the dead. At the same time, he granted scholarships to 11 orphans of the victims, from the Cyprus State Scholarship Foundation, for their undergraduate and postgraduate studies."
He also noted that "the state as a whole stood with reflection and self-criticism in the face of all the tragic events that marked our country, declaring at the same time our determination and promise to work consciously, with seriousness and responsibility, away from intertwined interests, outdated concepts and mentalities, always having as a guiding principle the common good and the well-being of our country".
The Minister of Health also said that "today, Church, State, Local Government together with the families of the victims from Paralimni, we pray for the repose of the souls and we honor the memory of all these people, whose thread of life was cut so unfairly and unexpectedly".
Source: KYPE
