RELATIVES of those who tragically lost their lives in the Helios air crash mourned their loved ones yesterday, four years on from the worst aviation disaster in Cyprus history.
All passengers and crew on board Helios Airways flight ZU 522 which left Larnaca airport just after 9am on that fateful day, died as the air craft smashed into the hilly area of Grammatikos, 40 kilometres from Athens after flying on autopilot before it ran out of fuel.
Twelve entire Cypriot families were wiped out in the horrific crash that will remain etched forever in the memory of Cypriots everywhere. The heart-rending stories of the human losses devastated the nation in 2005, however for the friends and relatives of the victims, the pain and sense of loss is still as fresh as it was that summer.
Maro Lappa, who lost her 25-year-old daughter Christiana and son-in-law in the crash, spoke of her immeasurable loss.
“You go to bed at night and yearn to see them in your dreams. How tragic it is for a mother to live and her children to have passed”, she cried.
Some 130 bereaved relatives dressed in black yesterday laid flowers and wreaths at the crash site in Greece, while in Cyprus the ceremony to mark the four year anniversary of the disaster took place at the Panayias Eleftherotrias church in Mosfiloti.
A feeling of resentment towards the government and the authorities was apparent in Cyprus, as relatives believe they have been let down in their fight for justice.
“Four years on we see that everyone has forgotten about us. Nobody was with us today, neither the state, nor the government,” said Eleni Kimitri, who lost five relatives in the crash.
DISY MP and psychologist Stella Kyriakidou was the only deputy to attend the memorial service.
“Four years later, and with empty houses and silent tears, the relatives are waiting for a big ‘why’ to be answered”, she said.
In a deeply emotional speech at the Grammatiko site following the remembrance ceremony, Prodromos Prodromou spoke on behalf of the relatives that travelled to Greece, saying that while they were constantly in their memory, it was on such days that these memories come to life and we “relive the pain”.
Legal experts expressed their concern this week over the court proceedings taking place against the five accused because of the potential of simultaneous cases taking place in Greece and in Cyprus, something that could create judicial complications. Reports suggested that Greek authorities would not hand over crucial evidence needed to base the case against the five accused in Cyprus, while given that three of the five charged in Cyprus are also facing trial in Greece, something that legal experts have ruled out.
The crash report found that the airflow valve was set at a 14-degree angle from the manual position, allowing for partial pressurisation. For this type of Boeing, it should have been set on auto before takeoff.
Yesterday, Attorney-General Petros Clerides confirmed reports that will meet his Greek counterpart Supreme Court Prosecutor Ioannis Tentes in September to discuss the judicial complications that were likely to emerge given the double judicial proceedings under way against Helios Airways officials over the plane crash. Clerides said that it was impossible for both countries to carry out simultaneous trials involving the same people, it should be decided where it was more “beneficial” to hold the case.
Nicos Yiasoumis, head of the committee representing the Helios relatives called for an “exemplary punishment” of those responsible so that “justice can be finally served”.
