Tornado and intense weather causes power outages

Power to communities which suffered outages overnight has been restored the electricity authority (EAC) announced on Tuesday morning, after a tornado struck in the community of Kelia on Monday.

Many areas of the island were in the grip of intense weather until late Monday night with power outages in Nicosia and Larnaca.

As a result of the weather conditions EAC poles were knocked down resulting in power outages in the Nicosia communities of Lakatamia, Strovolos and Geri, as well as Lythrodondas, until midnight.

In Larnaca electricity supply was interrupted in Kelia, Oroklini and Livadia, while electricity was restored around 9pm.

The whirlwind in Kelia tore through livestock farms, uprooted trees, and ripped solar water heaters and photovoltaic panels off rooftops.

“The tornado was quite large and it is miraculous that we did not suffer any casualties,” Mayor of Kelia, Panayiotis Tyrimos, told the Cyprus News Agency.

The mayor further stated he had received assurances from the ministry of the interior that all due assistance would be provided and that those affected by the disaster would be compensated.

Authorities are expected to visit affected areas to inspect and record the damages on Tuesday.