A specialist company will attempt to extract two vehicles trapped in Larnaca salt lake since last Wednesday, using heavy machinery designed for wetland operations.
Larnaca Mayor Andreas Vyras told the Cyprus News Agency that the company will make a second attempt on Thursday if Wednesday’s operation fails.
“Although removing the two cars appears difficult, I remain optimistic that the effort will ultimately succeed,” Vyras said.
The mayor explained how both vehicles became trapped. “Initially one car entered the salt lake and the second entered the area to extract the first, with the result that it also became trapped,” he said. He added that this puzzled all relevant authorities.
Recent rainfall has left substantial water in the salt lake, making extraction extremely difficult.
The vehicles will be transported to Larnaca municipality warehouses once freed. Owners must pay all recovery costs before reclaiming them, Vyras said.
The Game and Fauna Service imposed an out-of-court fine of €2,000 for intervention and damaging activity that degraded the habitat under the Protection and Management of Wild Birds and Game Laws.
Larnaca municipality expressed “serious concern” about the illegal vehicle entry into the salt lake, where authorities discovered the two cars immobilised inside the protected wetland.
The salt lake ranks among Cyprus’s most important natural treasures and holds protected status under the Natura 2000 network and Ramsar Convention. The wetland provides critical habitat for wildlife, particularly waterfowl.
The site has operated under strict protection since 1997, based on national and European legislation.
Any activity that might directly or indirectly affect the ecosystem, species or their habitats constitutes an offence under the Protection and Management of Nature and Wildlife Laws of 2003 to 2015 and the Protection and Management of Wild Birds and Game Laws of 2003 to 2021.
The municipality noted that despite repeated warnings, information campaigns and signage in the area, some people continue to deliberately ignore regulations and commit unacceptable actions that endanger the salt lake’s ecosystem.
(information from CNA)
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