The man who died after jumping from the Filanta apartment block in Larnaca during an immigration enforcement operation on Wednesday has not yet been identified, as police formally denied any use of force and confirmed an inquest would follow.
Larnaca Police Chief Ioannis Kapnoullas spoke about the incident on state radio, saying identification efforts were ongoing and that an investigation was under way, to be followed by a formal inquest into the death.
Responding to questions about police conduct, Kapnoullas rejected any suggestion that officers used violence, saying the operation was carried out in accordance with standard protocols and with both uniformed and plainclothes officers present.
He said the three men jumped from the fourth or fifth floor before police had even reached the apartments, landing on protruding balconies on the second floor.
Kapnoullas also said the Larnaca DLGO was examining the suitability of the building, but noted it had not yet been officially declared dangerous or unfit for habitation.
The two other men injured in the incident, aged 27 and 38, are being treated at Larnaca General Hospital and are not in danger. The SHSO spokesperson said one of the two would undergo surgery today to treat an upper limb injury, while the second had no wounds and was being kept in hospital purely as a precaution.
The three men jumped from the Filanta complex on Makarios Avenue during a Civil Registry and Migration Department operation targeting undocumented migrants. One man suffered severe head injuries, was intubated on arrival at hospital and died shortly before 10pm on Wednesday.