LIMASSOL TRAGEDY - THE OWNERS HAD RECEIVED A LETTER THAT THE APARTMENT BUILDING WAS DANGEROUS BEFORE ITS COLLAPSE. WHAT THE PRESIDENT OF EOA LIMASSOL STATES - Filenews 11/4 by Ioanna Mantziipa
Warnings that seem to have been ignored for years preceded the unspeakable tragedy in Germasogeia, where at noon on Holy Saturday the eastern part of an apartment building collapsed like a "house of cards". The building had already been classified as dangerous by the EOA Limassol, highlighting once again the serious gaps in the management of dangerous buildings.
This is a building over 40 years old, for which the owners had received letters a few years ago from the Municipality of Germasogeia, in which it was pointed out that the building presented problems and needed renovation, which, as it was found, did not happen. After the transfer of the responsibilities of dangerous buildings to the EOA, the EOA Limassol proceeded, as our website is informed, to an on-site visit after information from the Municipality of Amathus and classified the building as dangerous. He then sent letters to both the Management Committee and the seven owners, based on data obtained by the Land Registry.
In fact, in a letter dated March 26, 2026, the EOA informed that the building poses a risk to both owners and tenants as well as to passers-by, underlining that measures are imperative. In particular, it called on the owners to proceed with repair work, removal of dangerous elements and taking protective measures, in order to remove the danger.
In his statements to Filenews, the president of the Limassol District Self-Government Organization, Yiannis Tsouloftas, stated that the issue of dangerous buildings has been preoccupying the Organization for more than a year, even before the transfer of the relevant responsibilities.
As he noted, "it makes no sense to transfer this responsibility from one organization to another without providing the necessary legal tools for immediate action." He stressed that modern and effective tools are required, so that the EOAs can perform their role without transferring to them chronic pathologies of the public administration.
Among other things, he underlined the need for the possibility of rapid evacuation of dangerous buildings, with mandatory eviction of tenants, sealing or even demolition, as well as for financing mechanisms, such as the imposition of a mortgage on real estate to cover the cost of repairs.
As he explained, the EOAs do not currently have the necessary financial resources, nor can they transfer funds from other activities, such as water supply, sewerage and licensing, to meet such needs. "The appropriate financial tools and resources are required so that the danger of buildings can be effectively addressed," he said, adding that the procedures must be immediate and the penalties strict and dissuasive.
In conclusion, he also raised the wider issue faced by Limassol, with a large number of old apartment buildings erected after 1974 to meet housing needs.
