FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE – Fourteen aircraft are set to battle the flames in Limassol today, Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis confirmed, as Cyprus remains in crisis mode over the ongoing wildfire.
Speaking to CyBC, the minister said operations will concentrate on early morning water drops before strong midday winds—forecast by the Meteorological Department—make firefighting efforts more difficult.
Two aircraft from Jordan and another two from Spain are expected to join the effort if needed.
Hartsiotis also revealed that 106 people spent the night in emergency shelters in Erimi, Pachna and Episkopi, with efforts underway to move them into hotels by nightfall.
Meanwhile, thirty residents from the village of Lofou—who had been trapped in the community schoolyard—have now returned to their homes.
Local leader Ioannis Neophytou said police attempted to evacuate the group via the Lofou–Pera Pedi road at around 2am, but a flare-up forced the operation to be abandoned.
Neophytou told state radio that around twenty homes were destroyed in the fire, including two within the heart of the village.