Fireman dies while battling forest fire in Cyprus

One fireman died while battling flames in one of the worst-ever forest fires in Cyprus, authorities said on Monday.

The death was announced by Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades who said in a written statement he was shocked by the tragic event.

Anastasiades offered his condolences to the family of the deceased, 49-year-old Andreas Sophocleous, a father of five.

Authorities said the man died when a tanker carrying water to the fire overturned on a mountain road. Two other firefighters were injured.

A forest department official was critically injured on Sunday when his chain traction vehicle fell into a ravine.

The chief of the forest department, Takis Tsintides, told state television the fire had spread unchecked during night after firefighting aircraft stopped operating at nightfall.

He said the fire was blazing out of control on three fronts, though it was being kept in check by water drops from water bombers in several other areas.

He added he hoped the fire on the three fronts would be contained when firefighting aircraft resumed operations at daybreak on Tuesday.

Forest department officials said the fire, which started at noon on Sunday, had so far burned out 15 square km of pine forest and several orchards with fruit trees.

Greek, Israeli, and British firefighting aircraft have been providing help in fighting the flames in one of the most scenic regions of the central mountain massif of Cyprus.

The residents of four mountain villages were moved by authorities to safety, two of them being in the direct path of the fire and two because of the smoke.

The police partly recalled officers on leave on Monday and the National Guard put more units on alert to beef up forces on the ground. Endit