An 18-year-old woman remains in critical condition at Nicosia general hospital following a serious traffic accident on Monday morning on the Larnaca-Nicosia highway near Lympia.

The crash occurred at around 8.30am when the resident of the Famagusta area collided head-on with a car driven by a 51-year-old woman.

Both vehicles came to a stop in the right lane, and shortly afterward, a third car, driven by a 31-year-old man, crashed into the stationary vehicles.

The impact caused one of the cars to strike the 18-year-old, who had been standing near the concrete road divider.

The series of collisions forced the temporary closure of both lanes, creating heavy congestion and forcing traffic to divert via the old Larnaca-Nicosia road.

Police and ambulances were on the scene, managing traffic and clearing the highway. The motorway reopened around 10.45am.