One person has died and five others were recovered following the sinking of two boats in rough seas off Cape Greco, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) said Saturday.
The plan was activated at 14:30 today in the Agioi Anargyroi maritime area near Cape Greco, after three boats got into difficulty. Two of the boats were completely destroyed after running aground on rocks amid severe sea turbulence, the JRCC said.
A Police Aerial Operations Unit helicopter, a National Guard 460 Search and Rescue Squadron helicopter, a Famagusta Police Directorate patrol boat, Fire and Rescue Special Unit (ΕΜΑΚ) personnel, Famagusta Fire Station crews and Ambulance Service vehicles were mobilised for the operation.
A total of six people were recovered. One person from the first boat was thrown onto the rocks and rescued by police, and is in good health, the JRCC said.
Two other people were picked up from the third boat, which did not sink, and are unharmed, according to JRCC information.
Two women jumped into the sea and were picked up by two helicopters that were already at the scene, according to JRCC information. Both are hospitalised.
@en.philenews One boat broke apart and sank after striking rocks in the rough seas, police said. One person on board was rescued and brought safely to shore. A second boat also sank, according to information published by Kitas Weather and confirmed by philenews. #CyprusNews #CyprusWeather #cyprustiktok ♬ original sound – en.philenews
One person, a Greek Cypriot, was recovered unconscious by helicopter and taken to Famagusta General Hospital, where his death was confirmed, the JRCC said. He appears to have been trapped in the wreckage, according to JRCC information.
The rescue operation took place amid a storm that could make this the rainiest August in Cyprus since records began in 1902, weather tracking page Kitasweather said. Significant rain fell across almost the entire island, with only the western part of Paphos district, roughly from the Akamas area southward to Paphos, spared. Rain also fell in the occupied north, though no measurements were available from there yet, Kitasweather said.
August is typically a dry month for Cyprus, and Kitasweather estimated that today’s rainfall alone could push the month’s rainfall total to more than 700% of the average.
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