Cyprus Mail: Press Review in English, 98-08-12

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From: The Cyprus Mail at <http://www.cynews.com/>

Wednesday, August 12, 1998

Happy Valley reduced to ashes

THE BLAZE which reduced the greenery of Happy Valley in the Akrotiri base area to ashes was front-page news for most all the dailies yesterday.

Alithia reported that no fewer than 50 homes belonging to British Bases personnel had gone up in flames. Official reports suggested 12 homes had been gutted, but Alithia quoted the chief of the Cyprus Fire Brigade as confirming "information" that the actual figure had been closer to 50.

The paper added that a church, army camp and several cars had also gone up in the blaze.

Simerini suggested the total number of homes burnt was 16.

Phileleftheros reported that 30 houses had been gutted.

The wide-circulation daily also said the heat-wave which had killed 48 people had begun to ease off but was to return by Friday. Temperatures had dropped to a reasonable (for the time of year) 37 to 38 degrees celsius on Monday but were to climb to 40 degrees and over again before the weekend.

The paper also reported that unusually high night-time temperatures had been to blame for many of the deaths recorded in Larnaca between Saturday night and Sunday morning. The night-time temperature in the coastal town, which has suffered the brunt of heat casualties, was 31.9 degrees, equivalent to the average expected day-time temperature for the time of year.

A record night-time minimum temperature of 29.7 degrees was recorded in Nicosia that same night, while the day-time temperature in Nicosia on Sunday was 43.6 - the fourth highest temperature ever recorded on the island, Phileleftheros reported.

Other papers reported conflicting figures for the number of people killed by the heat-wave.

Haravghi said the total had reached 52. Simerini said the "official" death toll was 56. According to Alithia, the number was 50.

Phileleftheros also reported that a second gangland hit, planned to coincide with the attack on Loucas Fanieros in Larnaca on Sunday night, had been foiled by police.

The second hit was to have taken place in Limassol, with Sotiris Athinis the target, the paper stated.

Police received information that Athinis was to be ambushed by underworld hit-men as he returned to Limassol from a village in the district. The two hits, on Athinis and Fanieros, were to be an underworld reprisal for the shooting of Andros Aeroporos earlier this month, police intelligence were apparently informed.

The hit on Athinis was averted by increased police security measures, Phileleftheros reported.

The paper also said police had been hindered in their search for Loucas Fanieros's would-be killers in the early hours of Sunday morning because they were given "duff" information about which direction the hit-men had escaped in. Witnesses at the scene of the crime misled police who arrived on the scene, police said.

© Copyright Cyprus Mail 1998

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