dangerous buildings — Eight hundred and eighty-nine buildings in the Larnaca district have been classified as dangerous, according to updated records from the Larnaca district government organisation (EOA).
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- Eight hundred and eighty-nine buildings in the Larnaca district have been classified as dangerous, according to updated records from the Larnaca district government organisation (EOA).
On Friday, Larnaca EOA president Angelos Hadjicharalambous disclosed that the figure represents a comprehensive registry compiled from previous authorities and recent assessments conducted under a modernised inspection framework.
The newly reported data reveals that 563 buildings were already flagged as dangerous in earlier registers, with an additional 889 identified by last Tuesday. This updated breakdown comprises 427 buildings located within the municipality, alongside 23 in Aradippou, 80 in Lefkara, 34 in Dromolaxia, 12 in Athienou, and 313 in surrounding villages.
Inspection efforts are ongoing across the district, with 150 buildings having undergone visual checks and approximately 100 inspection reports submitted. From these inspections, officials discovered 23 residential and 40 uninhabited structures classified under Category C, indicating a visible risk of collapse.
Currently, two buildings have been officially declared dangerous. One has been evacuated, while the second has received an evacuation warning. In a recent follow-up inspection, social services identified 40 residents living in a single apartment block deemed at risk.
Authorities have cordoned off the site and implemented additional safety measures, as an adjacent unoccupied house has also been reported as at risk of structural failure. Hadjicharalambous noted that further assessments are ongoing, and he anticipates that at least one additional building will be classified as dangerous by Monday.
Out of the 20 uninhabited buildings identified within the municipality, 10 have already been secured, along with one structure in Aradippou. This expanded monitoring initiative comes in response to a series of recent incidents involving structural failures in the district. Notably, on Thursday, the roof of an abandoned house on Stavrodromiou Street partially collapsed.
Emergency services, including fire crews and rescue teams, were dispatched following the incident. Although no injuries were reported, authorities confirmed that the structure had intermittently been occupied by homeless squatters. Specialist search teams employed sniffer dogs to comb through the debris, ultimately confirming that no one was trapped.
Following the collapse, authorities cordoned off the area and initiated the demolition of the affected building, as well as an adjoining structure that was also deemed at risk. Interestingly, officials revealed that the collapsed property had not been listed in the district’s dangerous buildings register, although nearby structures had previously been flagged for potential risks.
Hadjicharalambous emphasised that property owners bear legal responsibility for addressing structural hazards and reiterated the commitment of local authorities to enforce necessary actions. He referenced past evacuation orders for the Madona Court apartment complex, stating that owners had been warned consistently over several years.
“Notifications instructing property owners to undertake necessary structural repairs were sent in 2016, 2022, and 2024, but no remedial action was taken,” he remarked, highlighting earlier cases involving unsafe residential blocks.
In that scenario, 24 apartments were ordered to be evacuated after the building was deemed at risk of collapse, with local authorities coordinating temporary accommodation arrangements for displaced residents.
In light of these developments, the Larnaca EOA has expanded its inspection programme to cover at least 22 additional buildings across the district, as part of a broader review aimed at ensuring the structural safety of older residential properties.
