Witness describes desperate rescue attempts before deadly Cape Greco boat tragedy

Local ayia napaTop NewsWeather Witness describes desperate rescue attempts before deadly Cape Greco boat tragedy Your browser does not support the video tag. Relevant News One dead, several injured, in Swiss shooting incident, police say 30 August 2026 Witness describes desperate rescue attempts before deadly Cape Greco boat tragedy 30 August 2026 Cyprus-born Greek Twins build bridge between China, Cyprus and Greece through viral videos 30 August 2026 Andreas Pogiatzi 30 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber A dramatic eyewitness account has shed light on the moments before the tragedy at Cape Greco, where businessman and former rally driver Dimi Mavropoulos died after his boat crashed into rocks during severe weather conditions. The eyewitness, identified as Panikos A. who requested that his full name not be published but whose details are known to philenews, had gone to the area of Agioi Anargyroi to photograph the rough seas caused by the storm that hit Cyprus. He said tourists and other Greek Cypriots were also at the scene and immediately realised the danger faced by the people on board the boats. The first boat destroyed by the waves “When I arrived at the church of Agioi Anargyroi, there was a tourist couple and another child. I was taking photographs and I saw a person asking for help inside the larger boat. He shouted SOS the first time and then waved his hands,” Panikos A. said. He said three more people arrived at the scene and they all tried to help. “We grabbed the rope that was there on a small boat in case someone needed help. We went down, while I had already informed police at 2.35 pm. They told me a helicopter was coming.” He said the first boat was initially intact and had not hit the rocks, but was later destroyed by a huge wave. “We tied the rope to a large rock and threw it for the man to catch because he could not swim,” he said. A police patrol with two officers later arrived at the scene and told those present: “We are taking over.” “I told the officer, my friend, the boat has a crack and with the next wave it will break apart. And immediately afterwards, the boat started slowly breaking apart. The police officer shouted, ‘Guys, we have to save him’. We shouted to him and he jumped into the sea, and we pulled him out with the rope,” the eyewitness said. The second boat remained intact The eyewitness said two people jumped into the sea from the second boat and managed to get out. “The boat started its engines, but when it moved to take it further in, its dinghy got caught in the propeller and it started producing black smoke before stopping.” He said this was the boat that was not destroyed on the rocks and remained intact. Image The boat belonging to Dimi Mavropoulos Describing what happened to Mavropoulos’ boat, the eyewitness said: “Mavropoulos started the engines and was heading inwards, and at one point the engines stopped.” He said the boat was on a collision course with another vessel. “The boat turned to the left, which proved fatal. It turned sideways and the waves hit it repeatedly, throwing it forcefully onto the rocks.” The boat tilted several times before overturning, he said, adding that at that point the two women on board jumped into the sea. The helicopter had also arrived by then. “The police boats could not approach at all. The winds must have been 10 to 11 Beaufort,” he said. The eyewitness said police and the helicopter immediately focused on Mavropoulos’ boat once they realised the fatal danger he was facing. “The police officers made a huge effort and because of the winds the helicopter came down and went back up several times because it could not stabilise.” He added that many of Mavropoulos’ friends arrived at the scene and called him, urging him to leave the boat. “They called him before he started going in and told him to get off, but it seems he refused, saying he would save the boat. They were next to me, talking to him and shouting at him.” The owner of the first boat that sank also arrived at the scene. “He was holding his head. He told them: ‘Take hold of the phone because they will not survive’,” the eyewitness said. People at the scene The eyewitness also criticised the behaviour of some people who arrived at the area. He said crowds continued arriving and some were filming the incident for social media. “They were climbing down onto the rocks to make stories,” he said. Read more: Limassol businessman, rally driver Dimi Mavropoulos dies in boat disaster off Cape Greco Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News One dead, several injured, in Swiss shooting incident, police say Cyprus-born Greek Twins build bridge between China, Cyprus and Greece through viral videos 19-year-old woman arrested over alleged attempted car arson in Limassol Four injured after two-vehicle crash on Limassol–Platres road Mecca and the new Middle East: What it means for the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus Rock and soil landslides reported on Kambos–Lefka road after heavy rainfall Nepal-Tibet death toll 750 from Himalayan flood, 3,000 missing Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.