Tragic accidents claim three lives

A SCOTTISH man, an English woman and a Brazilian woman, all lost their lives on Sunday in unrelated incidents on Sunday in Famagusta district.

The body of a 50-year-old Brazilian woman’s body was found floating in the water about 25 metres from Maistrali bay in Ayia Napa at around 4.30p.m. She was transferred to the shore by lifeguards who tried in vain to revive her. She was taken by ambulance to a private clinic where she was pronounced dead by on-duty doctors.

Later on Sunday, 46-year-old Scottish man Stuart Patterson, a permanent resident of Paralimni, was killed in a road accident. At around 9.15p.m on Sunday evening, Patterson was overtaking a series of cars on his motorcycle on Protara Avenue in Paralimni, and failing to notice a car stopping to turn right, collided with the back of the car. Patterson, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered critical injuries and was transferred by ambulance to the Paralimni General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at around 9.50p.m.

The third death involved 44-year-old English woman Sharon Janet Dragler, who died some time after 10.30p.m on Sunday evening. Earlier in the day, at around 9.30a.m, the tourist had gone to a private clinic complaining of intense headaches. After being examined and given medication, she was sent home only to return to the hospital with the same pains at around 10.30p.m. She lost consciousness and, despite doctors’ efforts, could not be resuscitated.

According to state pathologist Dr Sophoclis Sophocleous, who carried out the required autopsy examinations on all three bodies yesterday, Dragler died from a heart attack. Post mortem examinations also verified drowning as the cause of death of the Brazilian woman, whilst the 46 year old Scottish man died as a result of the injuries he sustained in the accident.

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