A NATIONAL Guard conscript was yesterday fighting for his life after sustaining critical injuries when an anti-tank shell accidentally exploded during morning training at a Larnaca camp.
Two officers were also in critical condition while15 other conscripts suffered lighter injuries in the 10am accident.
Sergeant Christos Papallis, who was finishing his service next week, was flown to an Israeli hospital specialising in military trauma early in the afternoon.
It was said that he sustained heavy injuries to his torso and spine, while losing one of his hands.
The other two critically injured officers are Major Zenios Zeniou and Lieutenant Argyris Argyrou.
“We have a lot of injuries, two who are very serious and a conscript whose condition is considered critical,” Defence Minister Koullis Mavronikolas said.
He added: “We believe that the two have escaped danger and the third was in critical condition and we cannot say what the outcome will be at this moment.”
Most of the other conscripts were treated for ear problems caused from the pressure of the explosion.
The injured troops were rushed to Larnaca hospital.
Mavronikolas said the accident happened during training but the conditions had not yet been clarified.
According to reports, the troops had been training on the Apilas disposable anti-tank weapon when someone armed the shell after mistaking it for a dummy.
Asked whether it was allowed to use live ammunition in training, Mavronikolas said there were standard procedures, which had been followed until that time without any problems.
The minister said there would be an inquiry into the incident.
“But what I can tell is that what interests us this moment is to provide medical treatment to the patients,” Mavronikolas said.
Larnaca hospital director Constantinos Mallis said he mobilised the whole staff the minute news of the incident broke.
He said that the hospital did not need to call in off duty doctors and the immediate need for blood was mainly covered by a large number of soldiers who went to the hospital.
WEIGHING in at 9 kilos and having an armour-piercing capability of between 350 and 600mm, the French-made Apilas is considered one of the most effective weapons of modern anti-tank warfare.
Its effective range is between 25 metres – the distance it takes for the grenade to arm itself – and 600 metres.
The weapon’s armour piercing effect is based in a special shaped charge grenade, which explodes on impact and releases high-speed carrot-shaped molten metal burst.
The burst penetrates up to 600mm of common armour before a fiery explosion inside the target.
