Young woman identified in fatal crash

Nicosia police have identified the young woman who died in a road accident on Sunday, while the driver of another vehicle has been questioned in connection with the incident.

On Sunday early morning in Nicosia, international student Renuka Koirala, a 21-year-old female from Nepal, was riding on the back of a motorcycle driven by a 38-year-old man, described as a foreign student from India.

According to police, the motorcycle was moving westbound on Athalassa Avenue in Strovolos around 2:30am. An official report said the man, under circumstances still pending investigation, made an attempt to overtake another vehicle and struck a road divider in the process.

The two students were ejected from their seat following the initial impact, with reports saying Renuka was not wearing a helmet. An ambulance rushed both to the Emergency Room at Nicosia General Hospital, where doctors on duty pronounced the female passenger dead on arrival. Reports said the man, who was wearing a helmet, had fractured his left arm.

Police told Knews the driver of the other vehicle was questioned by investigators, while there was no preliminary information to suggest the car had been involved in the incident.

On Tuesday evening, a police report said a finalized breathalyzer test had been administered on the Indian man, with investigators saying 71mg of alcohol presence was detected in his breath over the 9mg limit reserved for new permits in the first three years.

Police stopped short of saying alcohol or speed were factors but clarified the investigation into Sunday's incident was still ongoing. The name of the young woman had been initially withheld until authorities could notify next of kin.