A search and rescue exercise (SAR) has been held near Larnaca International Airport to familiarise personnel with the environment of the salt lakes and to test specialised equipment.

The scenario of the Larnaca Joint Rescue Coordination Centre exercise was an air accident in the salt-lake involving a civilian passenger aircraft, which, while landing at Larnaca Airport, experienced a failure of the landing system.

As result the pilot had to perform an emergency landing and the aircraft, after skidding off the landing strip, ended up in the salt-lake outside the airport.

To deal with the incident, the JRCC activated all the services involved in accordance with the provisions of SAR Plan Tefkros.

Police, the Fire Service and in particular the Larnaca Airport Fire Station and the Larnaca Fire Brigade, the General Staff of National Guard with search teams of the Underwater Demolition Team of the Navy Command and the Special Operations Unit of the National Guard participated in the exercise, along with means and personnel from the Larnaca Airport management company Hermes Airports, the Civil Aviation Services of Larnaca Airport, search teams of the Civil Defence Larnaca and the Forestry Department, personnel of the Larnaca Airport Lifeguard Team, together with the Coastal Surveillance System and unmanned aerial vehicle operation team of the JRCC.