DEADLIEST EARTHQUAKE IN ISLAND’S MODERN HISTORY WAS IN 1953

THE deadliest earthquake in the recent history of Cyprus occurred at around 6am on September 10, 1953, when the island was still under British rule.

Forty people were killed, 100 seriously injured and thousands made homeless after a powerful quake struck Paphos in the southwest of the island.

The number of casualties would have been much higher but for the fact that many people were in their fields when the disaster struck, according to an official statement by the then British Colonial Secretary Oliver Lyttelton.

“Approximately 2,000 houses were demolished or irreparably damaged, 5,000 more were seriously damaged, and a further 5,000 require repairs of some sort or another,” Mr Lyttelton told the House of Commons on October 21, 1953.

“One hundred and ten villages were affected and in five of these 90 per cent or more of the houses were destroyed . . . The homes of 33,000 people are destroyed, unsafe or damaged.

“Taking into account both private houses and public buildings it is estimated that over £2 million of damage has been done.”

Mr Lyttelton added that £10,000 had been raised for the earthquake victims by broadcast and other appeals in the UK and that services personnel had provided thousands of tents to those affected.

“Altogether 6,342 tents and marquees have been distributed and a further 1,140 are expected,” his statement continued.

“The British Red Cross offered immediate assistance and have supplied large quantities of blankets and clothing.

“The needs of families affected by the earthquake have been assessed by the Cyprus Welfare Department, and assistance is being given to those who require it.”