Two charred bodies found in burnt vehicle in Limassol, south Cyprus

There was tension in Cyprus (south) on Wednesday morning after two charred bodies were found in a burning vehicle in Listovounos area of the Limassol district.

A citizen noticed the fire in the vehicle a quarter past midnight and immediately alerted the authorities. Police have been put on high alert following the discovery.

All possibilities are being considered including that of an accident, foul play or a double suicide, police Chief Andreas Angelides said on Wednesday.

The burning car had been located on a dirt road between Pareklissia and Kelaki at a 50m distance from the main road, where fire fighters rushed around midnight to extinguish the blaze.

“Ten minutes after midnight, the police were informed that there was a car fire in the area. The fire service immediately visited the place [..] and police and members of the CID and the Limassol [mobile technical support unit] visited the scene.”

The discovery of the bodies immediately set off an investigation by CID into the circumstances of the incident, Angelides said.

The investigation is in its initial stages and the investigative team that has been set up is evaluating all the data and information at its disposal to clarify the case.

“The priority is to ascertain whether we are talking about a crime or another incident,” the police chief said.

“On our part, all possibilities are being considered,” he said. He added that all police stations have briefed on incident and are on the alert for any reports of missing persons.

Sources report that the scenario of murder is the most likely one at the top of Limassol CID investigators’ list, as on-site investigations and examinations so far reveal “strange” coincidences that possibly rule out the accident scenario.

According to the first reports, the two bodies were burned beyond recognition and determining if they were male or female was impossible.

Medical examiner Nicholas Charalambous conducted an autopsy at the scene, the results of which are awaited. Although no official information has been provided about the gender of the two charred bodies, on-site examinations by the pathologist revealed that they are males.

The scene had been cordoned off while officers from CID headquarters and Limassol are scouring the area for evidence and furthering the investigation.