Squatter found dead in abandoned hotel

Hunger and alcohol blamed for Polish man’s death

HUNGER and alcohol seem to be the most likely causes of the death of a homeless Polish man, found yesterday morning in an abandoned seafront hotel in Limassol.
The 48-year old, named as Gania Gadieskov, was discovered by the former manager of the hotel, Fotis Karseras, who notified the police.

“I came to pick up some furniture, when I found him lying on the floor in the hallway of the first floor.

“Although I could only see his face, I was 99 per cent certain he was dead.”
“The rest of his body was covered by a blanket.”

Karseras said that he recognised the man: “I had seen him begging outside of the hotel in the past,” he said.

The police found his passport and petty cash in Gadieskov’s pockets.

A forced glass door and some leftovers make it probable that the Pole had been squatting at the hotel for the past few days.

Limassol CID ruled out the possibility of any criminal act, but said the the man’s body was riddled by signs of hunger and living badly.

The precise cause of death will be determined today, at a 9am autopsy to be conducted by coroner Eleni Antoniou.

There are thought to be up to 5,000 Poles in Cyprus, with alcohol believed to be a serious problem among the men who come to Cyprus looking for work.

One reformed Polish alcoholic told the Cyprus Mail last year that he had tried in vain to set up Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for his compatriots on the island. “The men are interested in staying sober only till the next salary,” he said.

“They are far from their families, paid weekly, if they lose the roof over their heads they can sleep on the beach, and if they lose their job, it’s very easy to find another.”