IT WAS a lucky miss for one Nicosia resident yesterday morning as a Turkish mortar shell crashed through her roof and into her bedroom while she was at work.
Panicked neighbours rushed to call emergency services as the practice shell – which fortunately wasn’t live – flew over the Green Line from the north, causing what witnesses described as a “deafening crash” as it came down.
No one was hurt in the incident but concerned local residents highlighted the fact that there is a primary school just a few metres down the road.
Ayios Dhometios mayor, Andreas Hadjiloizou, visited the house and said civilian lives were threatened. He wondered what would have happened if the projectile fell on the school, which was full of children at the time.
During their meeting yesterday Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat apologised to President Christofias over the incident.
Christofias said, “These incidents should be avoided because they cause unnecessary tension. Mr Talat was truly saddened by the accident and I am conveying this message to the owners of the house.
“It was [an] accident. I don’t know the exact trajectory of the shell, which was a practice shell – it was blank. If the shell was loaded with explosive material it would have been catastrophic.”
The President added that after discussing the incident and the prospect of moving firing ranges away from the Green Line, it was his understanding that the military was withdrawing from the area.
“You also have to understand that [military camps] are not up to Talat but are a concern of the Turkish Military. In any case, we will continue to discuss these issues,” he concluded.
According to the conclusions of investigations conducted by the National Guard, the police and representatives of the UN peacekeeping force, the projectile came from the occupied region.
An announcement by the Defence Ministry described the shell as an “81mm, mortar projectile of Turkish origin”.
“The National Guard does not have this specific type of projectile.”
The blank fell went through the roof of Doxa Lambrou’s house in Democratias Avenue near the Ayios Dhometios checkpoint at about 10.40am.
Lambrou was informed of the incident by her neighbours and rushed home. Lambrou said, “Thank God, we were lucky that we weren’t home at the time.
“There is some damage done to the roof, the attic and the bedroom wall.”
Residents of the area were terrified and confused by the deafening sound.
“It was exactly like the sound you hear in the movies. At first I thought it was a bomb,” said neighbour Marios Constantinou.
The Defence Ministry specified that the hole in the roof showed the trajectory of the projectile and added that all the existing data shows that the projectile came from the occupied territories.
“This is not the first time where the government and the United Nations were confronted by upset residents over shots fired, discharged military items and even stone throwing from the occupied region,” Mayor Hadjiloizou said.
“The area is densely populated and full of shops and houses.”
