President of the Republic of Cyprus, Tassos Papadopoulos, has stressed here Sunday that responsibilities will be attributed to those who will be found guilty for the 14th of August, 2005 crash of an “Helios†Airways plane that killed all 121 people on board.
President Papadopoulos, who attended the memorial service for the 121 air crash victims at Saint John’s Cathedral in Nicosia, noted that the investigation of the tragic incident was completed ”in record time”.
“Today, we are still shocked by this unprecedented tragedy that hit Cyprus and we pay tribute to all 121 innocent victims who lost their lives. As I had pledged from the beginning, the incident was investigated in depth. The investigation continues and responsibilities, where due, will be attributedâ€, he said.
The President noted that “compared to similar incidents in the world, we have completed our investigation in record timeâ€.
On 14 August 2005, an Helios Airways Boeing 737, on its way to Prague via Athens, crashed into the mountain side north of the Greek capital killing all 121 passengers and crew on board, most of them Cypriot holidaymakers.
“All that was needed to be done has been completed. What matters now is the right preparation of the cases. We want to avoid the possibility those guilty are dismissed due to lack of full investigationâ€, the President underlined.
Invited to comment the fact that the relatives have filed lawsuits against the Republic of Cyprus which is responsible for the Civil Aviation Department, President Papadopoulos said that the relatives’ actions are welcomed.
“There is no discontent or bitterness. On the contrary, the relatives’ action is welcomed. If it is proven at Court that there is responsibility, this would help the government to punish those responsible, and continue the effort that began in 2003 for the modernization and better function of the Civil Aviation Departmentâ€, he said.
On Saturday, the relatives lit candles in all towns of the government controlled areas of Cyprus, in memory of the victims.
Around 120 relatives will leave on Monday for Athens to attend a service at the site of the crash.
