Anniversary is a time of reflection for the families
By John Leonidou

Cyprus Mail
13 Aug 06

IT WAS meant to be day of excitement for most of the passengers on
board Helios Airways flight ZU 522 as families boarded for their
summer holidays. It ended a day of national tragedy, shock and
mourning as their plane crashed into the hills of Grammatikos near
Athens, killing all 121 passengers and crew on board.

On the eve of the first anniversary of the disaster – the worst
inCypriot aviation history – the Head of the Helios Crash Victims
Relatives Committee Nicolas Yiasoumis told the Sunday Mail, `This is a
very sad time for us as the anniversary approaches.

`Memories of that fateful day come back to us, in which we said
goodbye, or rather au revoir, to our relatives who were going on
holiday only to be told some hours later that we were not to see them
again… ever.’ Around 190 relatives of the victims will fly to
Grammatikos to attend a memorial service tomorrow, August 14, he said,
`and then pray at the site of the disaster’.

Twelve entire Cypriot families, including a family of four Armenian
Cypriots, were wiped out in last August’s horrific crash. The
youngest victim was four years old.

In all, 17 children under the age of 16 died in the crash. Three of
the children, aged 16, 14 and five died along with their parents.

The oldest passengers were a couple aged 63 and 65.

Few people in Cyprus did not know one of the victims, but places like
Paralimni and Dhali lost more than most.

Sixteen resident of Paralimni died, half of them children.

Three entire families from the town were wiped out, including Christos
Pyrillis 40, his wife Antonia, 36 and their three children Eva 12,
Xenios 10 and Marcos six, who had gone on a week-long holiday

Another Cypriot family in Paralimni, who were visiting from Australia,
left their 20-month old baby at home with its grandparents because it
had a fever. The boy, George Xiourouppa, is now an orphan.

His father Demos, 39, his mother Margarita, 34, and sisters Sophia,
10, and Joanna, nine, died in the crash.

It has been a daunting time for the relatives, who have had to go on
with their lives thinking of what might have been had their loved ones
just nothad chosen that day or that plane to fly.

The relatives’ committee was formed in the aftermath of the crash`to
protect the orphans who have been left behind by this horrible
event,’ said Yiasoumis.

Maintaining those rights has not been without its problems.

The relatives have more than once come into confrontation with the
Communications Ministry, mainly over what they believe is the
Ministry’s loose handling of some of Helios Airways’ activities
after the accident.

But as the eve of the anniversary approaches, Yiasoumis believes that
it is a time of reflection and a time to remind ourselves that those
responsible must not escape unpunished.

`I call on the authorities also to reflect on what happened and get to
find out once and for all what happened aboard Helios Airways flight
ZU 522,’ said Yiasoumis.

He added: `However, right now we are just waiting for the commentsof
Boeing and Helios to be reviewed so Mr Kallis’ investigating team in
Cyprus can get to work and bring those responsible to justice.’