Man killed by unexploded shell

A LARGE explosion at a National Guard shooting range in Kalo Chorio in the Larnaca District has killed a 58-year-old from Asgata, in the Limassol district.

Demos Kleopa, a plumber and metal collector was apparently handling an unexploded shell at the range on Sunday when it suddenly exploded, killing him instantly.

He was found dead next to his car at around 1pm by passers-by, who immediately called the police. He had sustained multiple injuries to his head and body.

The boot of his car was open, with a tool used for metal collection by lying by his side.

Police cordoned off the area and immediately launched an investigation, with forensic pathologist Sophocles Sophocleous since carrying out an autopsy.

No eyewitnesses have so far come forward, with nearby farmers questioned saying they did not hear the explosion.

Larnaca Police Superintendent Soteris Hadjichristofis said that the shooting range was closed to the general public, adding that he was looking into how Kleopa was able to gain access to it.

He is believed to have visited the range many times in the past in order to collect metal.

He leaves behind two children and a grandchild.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.