Dismal start to the year’s road safety record

TWO youths were killed yesterday in two separate road accidents raising the number of fatalities in the first week of the new year to three.

In the first accident, a 17-year-old boy was killed while a passenger in a car driven by another minor, reports said.

Police said the accident happened at around 2.50pm.

Three minors were travelling in a pick-up travelling from Zygi to Alaminos near Larnaca.
The driver apparently lost control of the vehicle on a curve causing it to overturn.

In the second instance, a 19-year-old who had just been discharged from the army was killed when his car overturned in an orchard near Polis Chrysohous.

Yesterday’s fatalities have raised the number of road deaths to three in the first six days of the year.

A 19-year-old man was the first fatality of the year after his car overturned on the Limassol to Paphos road on Wednesday.

Two other youths who were passengers in the car were seriously injured, police said.

Demetris Yiakoumis was killed just after midnight on Wednesday after his car veered off course and crashed into the barricade on the side of the road.

Police said the vehicle skidded for around 30 metres before overturning, killing Yiakoumis and seriously injuring the two passengers.

They were rushed to hospital where the 19-year-old was declared dead on arrival.

It was the first road fatality of the year, picking up from last year’s grim tally of 116.

Four more people were injured in a fresh accident near Larnaca later in the day.

It happened at 7.10am on the Aradhippou to Dhekelia road near Pyla.

A semi driven by a 21-year-old man slammed into a tractor, which was stopped on the left shoulder of the road.

Such was the intensity of the collision, the two passengers in the tractor, 50 and 55-years-old, were thrown onto the road.

The driver of the semi and the two passengers of the tractor sustained serious injuries.

A man who was travelling in the semi was trapped in the mangled wreckage and had to be cut-free by the fire service.

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