Questions have emerged over lifeguard coverage and coastal conditions in Oroklini following the deaths of two 20-year-old Somali women on June 18.
The women died after the sea area, described as seemingly calm, turned into what the report characterises as a deadly trap.
Two key issues have since come into focus: the staffing and operating hours of lifeguard towers, and the presence of strong sea currents combined with a sudden seabed drop between breakwaters, according to experts cited in the report.
Experts also point to coastal erosion linked to the breakwaters in the area, which they say has damaged sections of the promenade and affected adjacent infrastructure.
Coastal engineer Xenia Loizidou, speaking to “Ph”, explained the phenomenon between the breakwaters.
“Between the breakwaters, at the heads as we call them, secondary wave formations are created. We have waves at both ends and waves coming from the sea. Under certain conditions, wave collisions may occur, which create reverse seabed currents. When people walk and the sea is shallow, as in the Larnaca area, they suddenly fall into deep water because there is a ‘step’. This can be up to three metres deep. When people fall into this step they panic and move downward, where these reverse seabed currents exist,” she said.