Two killed in separate accidents

ONE person was killed and one seriously injured yesterday in two separate road accidents.

An 88-year old man died after being hit by an oncoming car in downtown Limassol.

Arestis Constantinou Kasetas from the village of Kilani had been trying to cross Navarinou Street when the car, driven by a 22-year-old, sent him hurtling in the air and landing on another parked vehicle.

Kasetas was rushed to Limassol General Hospital, but on arrival was pronounced dead by doctors.

A 21-year-old from the village of Liopetri was seriously injured after his motorbike collided with a car at a bend on the Sotira-Dherynia highway. Christodoulos Christodoulou, who was not wearing a helmet, ended up on the tarmac. He was immediately rushed to Paralimni hospital and later to Nicosia General Hospital for surgery.

Eyewitnesses said Christodoulou was being pursued by four police motorbikes after he refused to pull over when officers noticed he was not wearing a helmet.

But Famagusta police chief Christakis Katsikides said the four police officers were not in pursuit and were actually monitoring local high-school graduation gatherings. He noted that the officer closest to Christodoulou’s motorbike at the time of the crash was 500 meters away.

The Famagusta police headquarters have launched an investigation into the circumstances preceding the accident, but two relatives who witnessed the scene insisted Christodoulou was being pursued.

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