Two young men died in separate road crashes in Cyprus within an hour of each other, bringing the country’s road deaths to 25 this year compared to 26 in 2024.
Kyriakos Antoniou, 20, from Agios Dometios died when his car collided with another vehicle on Larnaca Avenue in Aglantzia at approximately 1:20 a.m. on Tuesday. The second victim, Panagiotis Siik, 21, from Paphos, died ten minutes after midnight when he lost control of his motorcycle in the Kissonerga area.
Nicosia crash details
Antoniou was driving towards Nicosia from the University of Cyprus roundabout when his vehicle collided with a car carrying two passengers aged 24 and 23. His car veered off the road following the impact and struck a traffic light pole.
Antoniou was transported to Nicosia General Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The two occupants of the second vehicle were treated and discharged from the same hospital.
Nicosia Traffic Police are investigating the cause of the fatal collision and examining whether Antoniou was attempting a right turn at the time of the crash.
Speed racing
Aglantzia Deputy Mayor Andreas Constantinou said the crash highlighted ongoing concerns about Larnaca Avenue being used as a racing track, an issue repeatedly raised with police without action.
“With deep sadness we learned of the tragic fatal accident that occurred last night in Aglantzia. Another young person was lost unfairly on the asphalt, adding another name to the long and painful list of road safety victims,” Constantinou stated.
He said the municipality had repeatedly highlighted the danger through written communications, including a letter dated 26 May 2025, and verbal warnings to police with specific recommendations.
“Residents recently warned with continuous phone calls to police about the speed track on Larnaca Avenue. Unfortunately, we were not heard. And this ‘unfortunately’ costs the life of Kyriakos who according to our information was not responsible for the harm,” Constantinou said.
“The culture of ‘acting after the fact’ in this place, to act only after harm occurs, continues to cost us dearly. It is time to adopt the responsibility of foresight – to predict, to provide, to prevent. Who can look the young man’s parents in the eyes after this to give them condolences?” he questioned.
A Police representative told Phileleftheros they were unaware of the concerns in the specific area, but acknowledged that many roads are converted into racing tracks by young people exploiting the fact that police cannot be everywhere.
Paphos motorcycle crash
The second fatality occurred when Siik lost control of his motorcycle, which veered off the road, struck vegetation and then collided with a parked car.
Assistant Operations Director for Paphos Police, Michalis Nikolaou, said the victim was not wearing a safety helmet. The motorcycle belonged to another person, was registered as immobilised and had been given to Siik for repair purposes.
According to information, Siik had been repairing the motorcycle throughout the day and completed the work shortly before the accident. He mounted the bike for a test ride in front of his mother and sister before the fatal crash occurred.
The latest deaths maintain Cyprus’s road death toll at similar levels to 2024, with 25 deaths recorded so far this year compared to 26 for the same period last year.
