The gas leak in Engomi on Sunday, which led to road closures and power cuts, was most likely caused by a mud slide at a nearby illegal excavation and construction site for an underground car park after heavy rain, the Nicosia district organisation (EOA) said on Monday.

The EOA, which visited the site, explained that the works were being carried out without the necessary building permit.

It said an application for a building permit had been filed at Engomi municipality on May 29, 2024, for the construction of four blocks of flats with an underground car park, near the Hilton hotel.

The application was sent to the Fire Department for an opinion, which has not yet been drafted.
The Nicosia EOA has already ordered the termination of works and has notified the owner and contractor in writing, calling for immediate measures to make the site safe.

“Protection of public safety and observing the law are non-negotiable priorities,” the EOA said.
Nicosia mayor Charalambos Prountzos said the cylinders slid into an excavated area on Sunday after intense rains caused a mud slide.

The Fire Department had requested evacuation of the hotel’s restaurant and adjacent buildings, the closure of roads, and a temporary power cut in the wider area of Engomi-Makedonitissa to avoid hazards during the removal of the damaged cylinders.

Speaking to Cyprus Mail, fire service spokeswoman Koulla Mesaritou clarified the incident concerned nine 500l gas cylinders, positioned in an open outdoor space, from which piped gas was supplied for use in the hotel’s kitchens.

Six of these cylinders slid into an adjacent trench which had been dug for construction purposes, after a mound they were set against gave way – likely due to the rains, Mesaritou said.

Police immediately marked off a safety radius to enable dissipation of the gas cloud released through the damaged valves, and power was cut to minimise the chance of an explosion and fire hazard, Mesaritou said.

“The power was cut as soon as the fire service received the call at 6.20pm and stayed off until around 10pm,” she added.

A labour department official had also been dispatched to the site as well as police and electricity authority (EAC) technicians, to ascertain if any work safety conditions had been breached.

As a precaution, all nine cylinders were removed from the site, including the three which had remained in place and appeared undamaged, Mesaritou said.

The cylinders were lifted with cranes onto a private tow vehicle supplied by the gas cylinder provider, which transported them to the company’s maintenance warehouse, escorted by two fire engines.

Prounzos earlier commended the work of the authorities in safeguarding the area, saying in a post on social media: “I was present during [the cylinders’] removal and I congratulate the police, the fire department, the ministry of labour, the EAC and EKO for the impeccable professionalism they demonstrated.”