Cyprus-Forum.com

[Milo]

Tragedy averted at Napa hotel
By Nathan Morley

A PIPE-BOMB exploded outside an Ayia Napa hotel full of tourists in the early hours of yesterday but failed to ignite the two industrial-sized gas cylinders it had been placed next to.

No one was injured in the 3am explosion at the popular Pavolo Napa beach restaurant 100 metres from the hotel of the same name, which is close to Nissi Beach. The restaurant is owned by Ayia Napa Mayor Antonis Tsokkos.

Tsokkos, condemned the incident yesterday, but expressed relief that nobody had been injured.

Police said massive injuries could have been caused if the bomb had ignited the two huge gas cylinders it had been deliberately placed next to.

They said it was only by sheer luck that a disaster had been averted as the size of the explosion could have blown off the front of the hotel. They were surprised the cylinders didn’t ignite, they said.

The Cyprus Hotels Association (PASYXE), while welcoming the fact that no one was hurt, said irrespective of this, the incident was enormously damaging to the image of Cyprus as a safe tourist destination.

Several hotel guests the Cyprus Mail spoke to said they had not heard the pipe bomb go off but a couple in the next hotel witnessed the entire incident.

The British couple who wished to remain anonymous were sitting on their balcony said they were left shaken by the explosion, they said.

“There was an enormous bang and flash of light, and then before we knew it police cars and emergency people were everywhere. We could see policemen running around the beach.

There were still police and what looked liked forensic officers there at daybreak. From what I’ve heard, we are all very lucky, this could have been a disaster.”

The four-star hotel is a popular destination for British tourists. It boasts 92 bedrooms and four suites and is currently full to capacity, with tourists from the UK, Russia and Scandinavia.

When alerted, police went directly to the scene and sealed off the area. A disposal team removed the device for examination.

Police spokesman George Economou confirmed that several people had been called in for interviews, and told the Cyprus Mail he was amazed that injuries and damage had been avoided.

“Fortunately there was no damage, but next to the place where the bomb exploded there was two large gas tanks and that could have been really dangerous if they had gone-off as well. Thank God nothing happened.

“The gas bottles are not the type you use at home, these are big and filled up by tankers,” he said.

There is speculation that the bomb was planted after the Mayor issued a directive banning illegal placing of tables and chairs on beaches by local tavern and bar owners. According to reports local businessmen are furious at the decision.

“We are now talking with the Mayor of Ayia Napa, to try and find out if something happened during his duties which could have prompted this,” Economou added.

A night watchman told police he had seen two men leave the area on a moped just moments before the explosion.

PASYXE and the Association of Tourist Enterprises (STEK), which mainly represents four and five-star hotels both condemned the attack yesterday, saying tourism was in enough trouble without incidents such as this.

“This was a criminal act for which the authorities must show zero tolerance,” sad a PASYXE statement. “The fact that there were no victims should not in any way lessen the extent of the irresponsibility of certain criminal elements. Of particular concern was the fact that this criminal act affects the image of Cyprus as a safe tourist destination.”

STEK said: “In the middle of an economic crisis such criminal acts that pose an immediate threat to life of innocent citizens and foreign tourists sabotage any efforts made to overcome the current poor market conditions for tourism.”

“Unfortunately, it appears that the failure of law enforcement to solve in many cases such bombings, and the the flexibility of the sentences that sometimes seem to prevail in our country do not discourage criminals,” it added.


Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2009

[kafenes]

OK now we have Halil number 2 copy pasting without any comments.

BTW the title should read 'Bomb at Napa restaurant'. That's bad journalism.

[Milo]

OK now we have Halil number 2 copy pasting without any comments.

BTW the title should read 'Bomb at Napa restaurant'. That's bad journalism.

The restaurant is part of the hotel and my comments would be 'oh shit'

[kafenes]

No one was injured in the 3am explosion at the popular Pavolo Napa beach restaurant 100 metres from the hotel of the same name, which is close to Nissi Beach. The restaurant is owned by Ayia Napa Mayor Antonis Tsokkos.

The bomb was placed outside the restaurant which is 100 meters from the hotel.

[baby-come-fly-with-me]

OKAY LETS GET IT RIGHT.....SHE SITS HERE WAITING PATIENTLY

[Milo]

No one was injured in the 3am explosion at the popular Pavolo Napa beach restaurant 100 metres from the hotel of the same name, which is close to Nissi Beach. The restaurant is owned by Ayia Napa Mayor Antonis Tsokkos.

The bomb was placed outside the restaurant which is 100 meters from the hotel.

So the significance of where the bomb was placed is important is it? then maybe you should have picked up on the fact of what is was placed next too instead Which in turn according to all the newspaper reports would have blown a hole in the Hotels side, but hey they are all wrong so lets forget it. Its bad journalism, nothing more. These journalists must stop reporting things that are just not true.......... was it actually a bomb, did it go off, who knows? The only weird bit was the report of two people seen leaving the scene on a MOPED now thats a real getaway piece of machinery.

[kafenes]

Cyprus mail have the worst journalists. They title their articles in most dramatic fashion to attract readers. Why can't they just report things as they are? And then, here's you, trying to create some kind of stir by posting it on the forum without any comments of your own. The link to Cyprus Mail along with other papers is on this forum and I am sure a lot of people read them including myself. So, posting an article without your own comment is absolutely useless unless it's some propaganda against Agia Napa.

[Milo]

Cyprus mail have the worst journalists. They title their articles in most dramatic fashion to attract readers. Why can't they just report things as they are? And then, here's you, trying to create some kind of stir by posting it on the forum without any comments of your own. The link to Cyprus Mail along with other papers is on this forum and I am sure a lot of people read them including myself. So, posting an article without your own comment is absolutely useless unless it's some propaganda against Agia Napa.

Now who,s being dramatic?

[danky]

Thank you Milo for posting an interesting and even frightening article from the Cyprus Mail.
I

[danky]

Thank you Milo for posting an interesting and even frightening article from the Cyprus Mail.
No comments were needed from you.


Danky