Limassol businessman and rally driver Dimi Mavropoulos dies in Cape Greco boat sinking

Agioi Anargyroi, Cyprus. Limassol businessman, international rally driver and Cyprus Historic & Classic Motor Museum founder Dimi Mavropoulos died after two boats sank in rough seas off Cape Greco on Saturday. He was recovered unconscious by helicopter and his death was confirmed at Famagusta General Hospital.

Rescue operation

Cyprus activated its national Search and Rescue Plan “Nearchos” at 14:30 on Saturday after three boats encountered difficulties in the Agioi Anargyroi maritime area near Cape Greco.

Two boats were destroyed after running aground on rocks amid severe sea turbulence, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said. Police and military helicopters, a police patrol boat, fire crews and ambulances were mobilised.

Six people were recovered. A man from the first boat was thrown onto rocks and rescued by police, while two people were picked up from a third boat that did not sink.

Mavropoulos appears to have been trapped in the wreckage. His wife and daughter jumped into the sea and were rescued by helicopter. Both were hospitalised and were reported to be unharmed or in stable condition.

Rallying and museum career

Born in Limassol in 1949, Mavropoulos began rallying as a teenager and drove for Ford, Mitsubishi and the Chrysler/Talbot Cyprus team during a career spanning more than 45 years.

He won the Cyprus Rally Championship in 1986, 1988 and 1990. In 1990, he set an all-time record by winning all seven championship events in a single season.

In 2014, he founded the Cyprus Historic & Classic Motor Museum. In a 2019 interview with allaboutlimassol.com, he said he had founded the museum because he wanted “to leave something behind, to give back to my city.”

Storm conditions

The rescue operation took place during a storm that weather tracking page Kitasweather said could make August the rainiest in Cyprus since records began in 1902, with rainfall estimated to exceed 700 per cent of the monthly average.