Limassol, Cyprus. The apartment block in Limassol where two balconies collapsed onto a parked car had not been classified as dangerous, but had been identified by the municipality as in need of maintenance, Limassol district governor Yiannis Tsouloftas said on Tuesday. No injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred on Monday evening.
Maintenance warning issued
Tsouloftas told the Cyprus News Agency that a letter had been sent stating the building had sustained damage and disintegration of its external walls, and that the balconies needed maintenance.
He said the building’s owners had been asked to appoint a civil engineer to address the identified issues, but that it appeared this had not been done.
Authorities respond to collapse
Tsouloftas said that from the outset, engineers from the Limassol district government, as well as he personally, went to the site, while a contractor from the district government fenced off the area.
He said the district government worked with civil defence to evacuate the building, while civil defence provided temporary accommodation for around 20 people who had nowhere to stay.
Structural assessment underway
He said district government engineers were at the site on Tuesday morning to examine the static condition of the apartment building and decide whether residents would be allowed to return or whether the building would remain empty until the danger was removed.
Second collapse in recent months
The incident was the second notable building collapse in Limassol in recent months. In April, the Seagate apartment complex in Yermasoyia partially collapsed, causing the deaths of two people.
At the time, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said that a full investigation into the causes and circumstances of the tragedy was necessary to help prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Yermasoyia building still inhabited
Since that collapse, the district government filed an application on May 20 for an evacuation order to be issued for the Yermasoyia building, but no order has yet been issued as the matter proceeds through the courts.
The building remains inhabited despite its partial collapse more than two months ago.