A 65-year-old woman was taken to hospital on Wednesday after a four-hour standoff with police in Limassol, where she threatened to blow up her home with gas canisters to prevent her eviction.
Photo: in-cyprus.philenews.com
- A 65-year-old woman was taken to hospital on Wednesday after a four-hour standoff with police in Limassol, where she threatened to blow up her home with gas canisters to prevent her eviction.
- Fortunately, no injuries were reported during the incident, and the area was cleared, with roads reopened to traffic shortly after.
The tense situation unfolded in the Agios Ioannis area, prompting authorities to intervene after the woman’s son alerted them. He reported that she had locked herself inside her flat, expressing intentions to detonate gas canisters as court bailiffs arrived to enforce an eviction order.
The morning began with bailiffs attempting to carry out a court-ordered eviction. When they arrived at the property, the woman refused to vacate and resorted to threatening self-harm. This alarming behaviour spurred her son to seek help from the police.
Specialist negotiators were dispatched to the scene, aiming to de-escalate the situation. Their initial approach involved persuading the woman to surrender the gas canisters she had threatened to use. After about four hours of dialogue, the negotiators successfully convinced her to leave her flat and seek medical assessment at a local hospital.
Following the resolution of the standoff, the bailiffs consulted with Assistant Police Director Marinos Vassiliou regarding the next steps. They will return to court to report the incident and receive further instructions on how to proceed with the eviction.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported during the incident, and the area was cleared, with roads reopened to traffic shortly after.
