Elderly Man Killed by Minibus After Stopping to Clear Fallen Fridge on Limassol-Paphos Highway

Man Struck After Retrieving Fallen Refrigerator

A 76-year-old man, Demetris Potamitis, was killed on the Limassol-Paphos highway on Wednesday, 2 September, after a refrigerator fell from the double-cabin vehicle he was travelling in and he got out to remove it from the road.

Collision Occurred Near Episkopi Tunnel

The incident happened near the tunnel at Episkopi, before the Paramali exit, an area that falls within British Sovereign Base territory. Potamitis had been driving with his grandson when the fridge fell onto the carriageway; as he worked to clear it, a minibus carrying passengers toward Paphos airport struck both him and his vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene, while his grandson was uninjured.

Driver Arrested, Testing Underway

British base police arrested the minibus driver, who has since undergone alcohol and drug testing as investigators piece together the sequence of events. The base's traffic accident investigation team is leading the inquiry and has appealed to the public for dashcam footage and eyewitness accounts to support the probe.

Tunnel Closed for Hours, Traffic Diverted

The Paphos-direction section of the tunnel was closed for several hours following the crash, with traffic rerouted onto the old Limassol-Paphos road through Kantou before the tunnel reopened. Investigators are still awaiting formal statements from the driver, minibus passengers and any witnesses who came forward.