Mass turnout in north for earthquake victims memorial event

Hundreds of cyclists on Sunday participated in a commemorative event for the volleyball youth team members who died in the Adiyanman earthquake in Turkey last month.

The event, held in memory of the Famagusta students, was organised by the cycling federation in the north, with participants cycling from Nicosia to Famagusta. The first stop on their route was the Namik Kemal high school, where on Monday students are expected to take classes in tents.

The route’s final destination was the school the earthquake victims had attended prior to the tragedy.

Turkish Cypriot media reported a turn-out far beyond the 250 people who initially registered for the event.

In another report, a Turkish Cypriot news source questioned whether a lawsuit brought against Erdogan, ministers, civil engineers and others, for the unsuitability of Isias hotel where the team, their guardians and teachers lost their lives, will be casually dismissed as has happened in another case.

Turkish Cypriots organised under the hashtag #isiasortakdavamız (Isias is our common cause) are continuing to demand justice in a social media campaign.

Meanwhile, an area of forest near Ayios Ambrosios of Kyrenia is to be named Angel Champions in memory of the young athletes.