Speed blamed for 49th road death of the year

ANOTHER young man has lost his life on the island’s roads, bringing this year’s death toll up to 49.

Charis Charalambides, 20, who was in the passenger seat of his 19-year-old friend’s car, was killed in the early hours of yesterday morning near the village of Simou, as they were heading towards Polis Chrysochous.

Under circumstances that were yesterday being investigated, 19-year-old Kyriacos Pantelas lost control of his car and crashed into the protective railing, before his car overturned.

Both men were injured and taken to Paphos General Hospital, where Charalambides was pronounced dead on arrival.

His friend was kept in for further treatment. Paphos Traffic Police, who are investigating the reasons behind the crash, yesterday said excessive speeding was again to blame.

According to a police spokesman, there have been 47 fatal road accidents since January 1 this year, which have resulted in the death of 49 people. There has been a slight decrease compared to the same period last year, which saw 54 people fall victim to the island’s roads.

In another incident in Limassol, a 35-year-old drink driver was arrested on Monday night for causing an accident and fleeing the scene.

Specifically, at around 8.45 pm, the 35-year-old man from Limassol crashed into an oncoming car and sped off.

He was, however, pursued by the car he had collided with and cut off a little further down.

Police arrived at the scene and performed an alcohol test on the 35-year-old, which showed that he had 111 mg of alcohol in his blood, compared to the 22 mg legal limit.

He was arrested under a court order and held in remand, while the other car’s driver was taken to a private clinic for treatment after suffering a fractured neck.