The tragedy unfolding in Limassol on Holy Saturday has deepened, with Fire Service rescue teams locating a second person in the rubble of the collapsed building, hours after a first victim was pulled from the debris earlier in the afternoon.
Fire Service spokesperson Andreas Kettis announced in a post that search teams had located another person in the rubble following an operation. "Following the planning of an approach, the extraction process is beginning. It should be noted that considerable time will be needed to extract the person, given the location in which they were found," he said. Kettis did not specify whether the person showed vital signs, though journalists at the scene report that this is a second fatality.
Kettis earlier urged the public to note that all timely and accurate information on the incident and its developments will be issued exclusively by the Fire Service through himself.
Four survivors are currently receiving treatment in public and private hospitals. According to information, two people were taken by ambulance to Limassol General Hospital, one to a private hospital, and a fourth made their own way to a medical facility. A dog was also rescued from the rubble.
Estimates suggest the building contained between eight and ten flats. At the time of the partial collapse, between five and six people were believed to be inside, some in the section that did not collapse and others in the section that came down. As the residents are foreign nationals from various third countries, authorities are working to communicate with them through interpreters.
This is a developing story.