Man killed by bolting horse

AN ENGLISH-CYPRIOT man was killed yesterday morning after being trampled to death by a bolting horse at the Nicosia Race Track in Nicosia.

Akis Ioannides, 65, died instantly after a horse bolted out of control and careered into the unfortunate man, who was sitting in a chair close to the entrance of the track.

According to police reports, the horse had a 15-year-old girl rider on it when it began to bolt.

Ioannides was with a friend of his who owns race horses in Cyprus.

Witnesses at the track yesterday told the Cyprus Mail that the horse bolted because it was startled by the sound of a car engine starting. The horse then charged towards the victim who, unable to react in time, was trampled by it, with the young rider powerless to bring the animal under control.

Jockeys at the race track have in the past complained about cars that come into close proximity with horses.

An autopsy is set to take place on the body of Ioannides today.

Nicosia police are still investigating.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.