Thirteen whole years are completed this year since the tragic August of 2005, when another tragedy was to be added to the long-suffering history of our country.
The calendar showed August 14, 2005, when the 115 passengers and six crew members of Flight 522 of Ilios Airlines departed Larnaca Airport for Prague at 9 am and made a stopover at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport.
Three hours later, the fatal plane crashes in the mountainous area of Grammatiko in northern Attica. All passengers and crew are dead. Twenty-two children are among them.
The mourning for Paralimni, which mourned the loss of a total of twelve inhabitants, was particularly heavy. Two whole families, of Christos Pyrillis and Antonis Antoniou, went missing in the wreckage of the plane, as well as three of the four members of the Koutsofta family who left behind the then two-year-old Vassilis.
Today for another year, the tears did not dry up. In the Holy Temple of Agios Georgios in Paralimni, the memorial service for the Paralimni victims of the air tragedy was held under the direction of Metropolitan Constantia-Famagusta.
Thirteen years later, pain remains an unbearable burden and painful for those left behind. For those who buried children and grandchildren in the same grave on the same day, without, however, ever justifying the memory and loss of their loved ones.
The Government was represented by the Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Shipping, Costas Iakovou.
In his commemorative speech, the Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Shipping, Costas Iakovou, stated that "the crash of the Helios aircraft, which is considered the worst air tragedy on Greek soil, will remind us that responsibility, method, diligence and professionalism are a basic condition for the smooth functioning of the state, the security of the citizens but also the prevention of such calamities ".
He noted that "the 121 souls of Cypriots, Greeks and Armenians died so unjustly and tragically, entire families were torn apart and many children lost their parents and were left orphaned."
"The mourning for the Municipality of Paralimni was particularly deep, mourning a total of 12 permanent residents and another 4 with origin from Paralimni and their place of residence in Limassol", he said, and pointed out that "since then the pain and sadness from the unfilled gap of the loss of their own people, accompanies the relatives of the victims every day ".
The Government, continued, Mr. Iakovou "in the framework of a human-centered policy by decision of the Council of Ministers, demonstrated its interest and support, as a minimum due return in memory of the dead by offering 3 million euros to families, as well as scholarships to 11 orphaned children of the victims from the Cyprus State Scholarship Foundation for their undergraduate and postgraduate studies ".
He also noted that "at the same time as a State we stand with reflection and self-criticism in the face of all the tragic events that marked our place, while declaring our determination and promise to work consciously with seriousness and responsibility, away from conflicting interests, obsolete mentalities, always guided by the common good and the prosperity of our country ".
After the memorial service, a trisagion was performed and wreaths were laid at the graves of the victims in the Paralimni cemetery in the presence of MPs, representatives of the Police and the National Guard and a large crowd.
In his statements, the Mayor of Paralimni, Theodoros Pyrillis, stated that "today we honored the memory of the victims of the plane crash of 2005, to remember that some people went missing unjustly. Let us use the example of this tragedy to avoid in the future any mistakes and actions that may cost us human lives ".
He added that "every day we see lives being lost in several parts of the world due to the improper operation of some relevant departments", and called on everyone "to become more careful and more formal and to ensure that human life is preserved beyond anything else we have" .
Famagusta.News
