Woman dies in rural Nicosia collision

An elderly woman was killed in a brutal road collision in rural Nicosia when her car was hit twice in a chain reaction accident.

Police said 69-year-old Maria Karaoli from Lakatamia was driving her vehicle westbound with another passenger on a Nicosia-Troodos main road on Wednesday afternoon, when she got into an accident around 3:45pm in Akaki.

Local media reported that Karaoli was attempting to overtake another vehicle when her car collided with a semi truck that was moving in the opposite lane.

According to police, Karaoli’s car collided with a truck driven by a 56-year-old male driver. Following the initial collision, a third vehicle moving westbound also crashed into the car, trapping both Karaoli and her 41-year-old female passenger.

Fire fighters and emergency rescuers pulled the two women out of the wreckage and were rushed to the Emergency Room at Nicosia General Hospital, where doctors on duty pronounced Karaoli dead on arrival.

The driver of the third car, described as a 41-year-old female, was also taken to hospital while the truck driver later visited the ER to receive medical treatment.

The accident is under investigation.