Three teenagers were arrested on Tuesday after a 16-year-old reported he was attacked by 15 people the previous day outside a church in Pyrgos, Limassol.

Two small groups, one from Parekklisia and one from Pyrgos, gathered outside the church in Pyrgos for a fight, where the first group threw a Molotov cocktail.

During the following tumult, the 16-year-old said 15 people were hitting him with their fists and clubs.

The boy was taken to a private hospital where he received first aid and was discharged.

Following the issuing of warrants, two 19-year-olds and a 17-year-old from Parekklisia were arrested.

A rivalry between the two villages has been going on for years with residents reporting the trouble has caused a lot of damages.

“This situation has been going on for years, but last night’s incident reached an impasse,” Pyrgos community leader Neoklis Christoforou told Philenews.

Young people from Parekklisia enter our village causing problems and damages to the community.

“In the last six months there have been incidents in the village of arson of garbage bins, while the same situation happens from the other side as well.”

A week ago there was a meeting between the two community leaders in the presence of the young people to discuss the issue.

“They assured us that they would not cause any more problems,” Christoforou said, expressing his disappointment at the ongoing conflict.