Cyprus’ two largest political parties, Disy and Akel, on Friday demanded answers from the government over its handling of the wildfire in the Limassol which killed two people during the week.

Disy released a statement which stated that “the time to take responsibility is coming for those who rested, who were absent, and who failed to protect this place and its people”.

“Recent statements and assurances of readiness proved to be but words. At the critical moment, people were abandoned to their fate. The complete absence of a plan, the lack of coordination, inertia, and the lack of understanding raise serious and unwavering questions,” it said.

“It is said that the government’s line was to save lives. With two dead and dozens injured, they obviously failed, while at the same time leaving the forests and people’s properties exposed to the fiery storm.”

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It described the government’s handling of the fire as a “criminal failure” and said that its causes “must be investigated immediately”.

“The magnitude of the destruction must be proportional to the responsibility taken. Political responsibility must be sought, attributed, and taken, no matter how high the office of those who take it. We will not tolerate those responsible hiding behind their subordinates,” it said.

As such, it published a list of questions it wished to pose to the government, including “where were those responsible?”, “what was the plan?”, “why did the government’s much-advertised plan not work?”, and “what went wrong?”, given that the government had said Cyprus had “more firefighting equipment than ever” at its disposal.

Akel leader Stefanos Stefanou, meanwhile, took a similar line, saying that the fire “pulverised the government’s statements and revealed its incompetence, which it has tried to hide under communication tricks”.

“The government cannot hide from its responsibilities. Responsibility must be identified, attributed, and taken. Society cannot stand any more nice words,” he said, adding that should those in government refuse to take responsibility for what he sees as failings, “this will anger society even more”.

Presidential press officer Victor Papadopoulos then responded to Stefanou, saying he was “rushing to compete with Disy and Elam in populism”.

Akel then responded in kind, saying that while the government “may lack the ability to govern the country and be subpar in the circumstances”, it is “overflowing with audacity and arrogance”.

“Have some shame. What else can you say to a government which does not understand what responsibility and integrity mean?”