Cyprus and Greece to test mass-casualty response in joint Andros exercise

Chora, Greece. Emergency teams from Cyprus and Greece will practise responding to a mass-casualty incident during joint manoeuvres on October 20 near Chora on the Greek island of Andros. Cyprus’ state health services Okypy said the exercise would strengthen operational preparedness and coordination between the two countries.

Tourist bus crash scenario

In its announcement on Thursday, Okypy said Synaspis 2026 would be held in semi-mountainous terrain. The organisers are Greece’s national emergency care centre, Ekav, and the Cypriot ambulance service, supported by the municipality of Andros.

According to Okypy, the scenario envisages a tourist bus leaving the road and falling over a cliff, causing multiple casualties.

Teams will be tested on how quickly they mobilise, coordinate operations, triage casualties and conduct rescues. The drill will also assess care before hospital admission and the transport of patients, with particular attention to locations that are difficult to access.

Assessing procedures and cooperation

Okypy said the findings would help assess the procedures used, pinpoint improvements and strengthen the countries’ coordinated response to such emergencies. It added that cooperation in emergency care before hospital admission improved both countries’ readiness for major incidents and disasters.

Political and administrative leaders would be able to watch the participating teams demonstrate their operational capabilities, Okypy said. It described this as an opportunity to highlight the importance of ongoing training, readiness and cooperation across borders.

Okypy also said Ekav and Cyprus’ ambulance service were deepening their collaboration and improving their capacity to respond jointly and effectively to complex emergencies, while keeping the protection of human life as a firm priority.