TRAGEDY IN GERMASOGEIA - THE APARTMENT BUILDING WAS RAZED TO THE GROUND - A GREEK CYPRIOT OWNER HAD SENT A LETTER CALLING FOR INTERVENTION BEFORE THE DISASTER - Filenews 13/4 by Ioanna Mantziipa
The apartment building that collapsed at noon on Holy Saturday in Germasogeia is now a thing of the past, with the landscape remaining shocking. Rubble, iron, mattresses and piles of cement now cover the space, creating a vacuum.
A gap that should have been addressed earlier, but the inaction in taking drastic measures and the delay in recognizing the serious static problems of the apartment building led to its tragic collapse, leaving behind the loss of two human lives, crushed under the rubble of the building.
On Easter Sunday, the crews proceeded to completely demolish the apartment building, as the rest of the building was extremely dangerous. The apartment building had literally been "cut in half", with its south side having taken a dangerous slope, after the columns on the ground floor parking space gave way.
The investigation into the circumstances of the collapse continues at an intensive pace. New aspects of the case are revealed every day, with the investigative authorities having gathered important evidence and testimonies that are expected to shed light on the causes of the tragedy.
According to information from Filenews, among the evidence being examined are documents and letters concerning the apartment building, including the documents of the Municipality of Germasogeia and the Limassol District Self-Government Organization (EOA), which have already been included in the case file.
According to reliable information on our website, one of the apartment owners in the apartment building in question, a Greek Cypriot who lived in the building, seems to be a critical factor in the investigation.
The specific owner had sent a letter to the EOA of Limassol, informing him of the serious static problems presented by the building. In fact, he stated that he could not consult with the other owners for immediate measures. This letter seems to have been the reason for an on-site inspection of the building by the EOA, with the competent officials describing it as dangerous.
As we wrote in our previous report, on March 26, 2026, the EOA informed in a letter that the building is a danger 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.
From the data that has been collected, it appears that there were serious problems of communication between the owners, with several of them showing indifference to the dangers posed by the building. In addition, according to information, a foreign owner allegedly bought apartments in the apartment building and rented them through an online platform. One of these apartments had been booked on April 9, while on April 11, the day of the collapse, the tenants had left their suitcases in the apartment and gone out for a walk. When they returned, they saw the destruction.
It is noteworthy that the approximately 14 tenants who lived in the apartment building have already secured temporary accommodation in a hotel through the Civil Defense. According to the same sources, there were also persons who lived in the apartment building illegally, without having a residence permit from the Republic
