Man drowns after riverbank fall

A 63-YEAR-old man from Limassol has drowned after slipping on rocks on a riverbank and losing consciousness.

On Saturday, Emilios Rialas, manager at an insurance company, was visiting his plot of land near the Ayios Yeoryios Silikou village. At some point, he made his way down to the river to collect some sand from the bank.

When he failed to return home later that night, his concerned family urged police to mount a search. But Rialas was nowhere to be found, and the search had to be called off for the next day. At around 7am on Sunday Rialas’ body was found by his brother-in-law.

State pathologist Sophocles Sophocleous identified drowning as the cause of death, saying the man also had abrasions on his body, most likely as a result of falling on rocks.

The body was found at a considerable distance from where Rialas was last seen.
Police have ruled out foul play.

Rialas leaves behind a wife and two children.

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