House collapses in capital

A BUILDING in Lefkoşa’s walled city partially collapsed last week, leaving a family of six homeless.

The collapse occurred at a mudbrick house on Pençizade Sokak. The family, which included four children, escaped with their lives.

Reports said the family had just woken up and were getting ready for breakfast “when they realised that the house was starting to collapse” and saved their lives “by running out into the street at the last minute”.

While no-one was injured in the incident, a parked car, and a garage made of sheet metal and a water tank belonging to an adjacent building were damaged by falling debris.

A police statement said the incident occurred at around 6.30am on November 2. The “necessary safety measures were taken, the road was closed to traffic and municipality crews began a clean-up operation” the statement said.

Meanwhile the charitable Cyprus Foundations Administration (Evkaf) said that it has supported the family by finding them somewhere else to stay and by also providing them with clothes and food, as much of their personal belongings were left under the rubble.

Building collapses in Lefkoşa’s walled city happen from time to time due to the poor state of many of the structures there.