Earthquake in Paphos

But it was in the rural villages where houses built with sun-dried mud bricks collapsed like a deck of cards and where the earthquake assumed the proportions of a disaster. The two villages that sustained the greatest damage were Stroumbi (Στρουμπί) and Kidasi (Κιδάσι). An article in ‘Eleftheria’ newspaper stated ‘the village of Stroumbi no longer exists, it has been turned into a pile of rubble.’

Forty people lost their lives on that fateful day; hundreds more were injured and up to 30,000 people were left homeless. Most of the injured were transferred to hospitals in Limassol, Nicosia and in villages such as Agros and Platres. Many lives were spared on the morning of the earthquake, because the inhabitants were up and about and working in their vineyards, picking grapes.

In Stroumbi, the earthquake claimed the lives of men, women and children ranging in age from eight months old to 98 years old. Most of the dead were buried that same day. Archbishop Makarios quickly assembled various church leaders and performed a special funeral service (Τρισάγιο) at the graves of the victims.

Amidst the chaos and confusion emerged miraculous stories of survival and incredible acts of kindness. Vassos Kyprianidis, a theology professor from Stroumbi had planned to visit the village on the eve of the earthquake together with his wife and children but postponed the visit which potentially saved his family. Unfortunately, his elderly mother was found dead the next morning under the ruins of the family home.

The devastation around Paphos was widespread. Correspondents reported that ‘weeping women in the village of Stroumbi could be seen wandering in total despair amongst the ruins of their homes, trying desperately to retrieve clothing, food, and anything that could be useful to themselves and their families.’ A merchant named Menikefs, described how half-clad women were seen pulling their children from crumbling houses and protected them with their own bodies. “We were absolutely helpless”, he said.

Of the approximately 200 houses in the village of Stroumbi, 150 were completely or partially destroyed by the earthquake. The rest suffered severe cracks and therefore became uninhabitable. Among the destroyed buildings was the church of Agios Georgios, whose roof with its majestic Gothic arches and the beautiful iconostasis collapsed. The interior of the church was filled with stones and debris including the sacred icons that were crushed by the ruins. Even the village wineries and flour mills were turned into rubble. It was also reported that many roads of the village were blocked by the ruins.

The feelings of terror and agony among the earthquake-stricken inhabitants of Paphos was intensified not only by the aftershocks, but also by the realisation that they had lost everything, and were now facing the bleakest of winters to come.

Journalist, George I. Hatzinikolaou from ‘Eleftheria’ newspaper (dated 15.09.1953) writes. “Your heart breaks and you break down in tears when you find yourself among the tragic victims of the disaster. I met with the residents of Stroumbi on Sunday morning. They were concentrated in the area of the tents that were set up for their temporary accommodation. A weeping woman cries out a few incomprehensible words. Her fellow villagers explain to me that she has lost her child. An old man, badly injured, mourns incessantly and loudly at the unjust loss of his partner. One man mourned the loss of his three young daughters and his wife. Others asked me if I have seen the ruins of their houses. They tell me, they do not have the mental stamina to go and inspect them themselves.”

The British Government was swift to react and immediately sent troops and engineers to provide aid. The aircraft carrier Theseus. the destroyer Saintes and the tank-landing ships Striker and Reggio were sent to the island to give any assistance needed; while the R.A.F. arranged to fly 500 tents from Britain. British troops scrambled to set up tents and distribute food, bedding and other much needed supplies. A detachment of Royal Engineers together with members of the Cyprus police assisted in rescuing people trapped in the rubble and in the careful demolition of damaged buildings.

In the days after the terrible earthquake, there was a great lack of food. Everything had to be provided by the British Government and the generosity of the surrounding villages, since many bakeries and flour mills were destroyed. One loaf of bread was distributed to the inhabitants for each family, together with 150 grams of cheese, a few potatoes and a few legumes. A can of condensed milk was distributed to each infant every other day. The tents provided proved to be completely insufficient to house the homeless earthquake victims. Those who were not housed in tents, slept outdoors in the countryside. One report claimed that over 50,000 people in Paphos were forced to sleep in the open. Expected mothers gave birth under carob and olive trees. Sadly, one baby was reported to have died of exposure.

On the Sunday, after the earthquake, a large group of volunteers and scouts arrived in Paphos under the guidance of His Eminence, Archimandrite Stamatopoulos. They were proactive in helping to distribute to the victims of the earthquake, various foods, such as bread, milk, bacon and marmalade. Large quantities of food were also transported to Paphos by the Mayor of Kyrenia.

Apart from the food intended for the inhabitants, the villagers were also desperate for animal feed and housing for their animals. Many residents demanded that the Government build, before winter, makeshift shacks made of tin for the housing and protection of their animals.

Soon, the primary school of Stroumbi recommenced classes in the open air and the local police station was relocated to an open field with its telephone placed in a tree.

Many affected inhabitants of Paphos pleaded with the monasteries of Kykkos and Agios Neophytos to ‘waive their rents’ for that year, which they were required to pay for the use of vineyards and other lands that were owned by the Church.

According to some estimates, the damage caused to the houses and various buildings in the village of Stroumbi also was around 125,000 pounds at the time. The loss and destruction of furniture, household items and personal keepsakes was immense and, in most cases, irreplaceable. On the initiative of Archbishop Makarios, a Central Fundraising Committee was established in Nicosia to raise much need funds for the earthquake victims of Paphos.

Queen Elizabeth sent a telegram to the acting Governor of Cyprus which read; “My husband and I are greatly distressed to learn of the loss of life, and injuries, sustained in the earthquake. We send our deep sympathy to the suffering and homeless in Cyprus.”

The earthquake in Cyprus occurred a month after a series of devasting earthquakes caused death and destruction in Greece and Turkey. The Aegean and Mediterranean region had just experienced one of the hottest summers in 25 years. There were over 113 recorded earthquakes in Greece during the month of August, mostly in the region between Kefalonia and Zakynthos. The most destructive earthquake occurred on the 12th August on the island of Kefalonia or (Κεφαλονιά), the largest of the Ionian Islands. This earthquake measured 7.3 on the Richter Scale and claimed the lives of 800 people. By comparison, the Cyprus earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter Scale.

I have been fortunate to have met and interviewed two survivors from Stroumbi, who remember the earthquake with incredible clarity. Agathi Constantinou was twenty-nine years old at the time and living in the village with her parents and young son Taki. Her husband Chrysanthos had left Cyprus to go to Australia a few years earlier. “I had a dream the night before the earthquake,” she tells me. “In my dream I saw a dragon enter the village intent on destroying all the houses. I woke up early, around 5am and went to the public fountain in the village to fetch water together with my neighbour Eleni. We returned back home with our containers of water but Eleni wanted to go back to the fountain to fetch more water. She asked me to join her but I told her to go ahead and I will meet her at the fountain soon. Then suddenly there was a mighty roar and the earth shook all around me. Within seconds, half of my house had collapsed to the ground including my son’s bedroom. By the grace of God, my son Taki was away at the time staying with at my brother’s house in Limassol. Who knows, if my son was with me in the village that day, he may have died.”

Later that morning, Agathi discovered that her neighbour Eleni was killed on her way to the water fountain when a wall collapsed on top of her. “Poor Eleni,” she says softly. “God spared me that day, but so many innocent people lost their lives.”

The second woman I met and interviewed was Eleni Pari who was also from Stroumbi. Eleni was 25 years old when the earthquake devastated her village in 1953. “I remember that morning like it was yesterday,” she tells me. “How could anyone forget. My son Giorgios was only ten months old. I remember standing near the road holding my son in my arms, under the arched entrance to the courtyard of my house. I was listening to a neighbour (Mrs Lazarou) arguing with a driver after his car damaged the wall of her house. The roads were very narrow in those days. There were other women standing around listening to the argument. As I turned to walk back towards my house, I suddenly hear a loud grumbling noise and I see my house swaying side to side. I collapsed to the ground, still holding my baby son to my chest. I remember grabbing onto the roots of a fig tree to try and steady myself.”

During my interview with Eleni, I noticed that at times she became visible shaken and was close to tears. She was determined however, to tell me the events of that tragic day. We talked about the loss of innocent life, including Agathi’s neighbour Eleni, who was killed on her way to fetch water.

“It was so sad,” Eleni remarks softly. “Eleni was such a lovely woman. She was the wife of Miltiades the tailor in our village. She went to fetch water and the wall collapsed on her because of the earthquake. Two women were killed at that very spot and I believe four others were injured. I will never forget the cries of anguish from her young son Kostaki that morning. He was stumbling around topless, holding a cloth and crying out loud, “Eπεθανε η μανα μου, Eπεθανε η μανα μου” (My mother has died, my mother has died). He was only about three or four years old at the time.”

Eleni explained that most of the children in the village were asleep when the earthquake struck. Little Kostaki, had rushed outside and that’s when he saw the bloodied body of his mother underneath the rubble of a collapsed wall.

Fighting back tears, Eleni continued to talk. “It was terrible. I remember the bodies were laid out in rows on the street near my house. We tried to find bed sheets to cover the dead but no one could enter their houses. We struggled to find bed sheets. There wasn’t a house left standing after the earthquake. I remember how the men, quickly dug graves to bury the dead. It was all done in great haste. It was still hot don’t forget. They had to bury the bodies quickly. Whenever I remember that day I cry.”

I ask Eleni if she would like to have a rest.

“No, no, I am okay,” she says softly with a shaky voice. “It’s important that I tell you what happened. I can’t remember how long the earthquake lasted but I remember clutching the roots of our fig tree with my baby son on my chest and I could hear all the destruction around me. Cabinets full of glassware were crashing to the ground. You could hear the glass shattering in houses nearby. We slept in tents for a year after the earthquake. Or was it a year and a half? Out in the open.”

I feel so fortunate to have met and interviewed Agathi and Eleni from Stroumbi. I am sure there are countless other stories out there – perhaps even untold stories.

Does anyone remember the earthquake of 1953? Do you know anyone who was affected by the earthquake of 1953? If so, please share your stories here today.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Cleopatra Papageorgiou-Sofianou, Chrysostomos A. Sophianos, Agathi Constantinou and Eleni Pari. Also, various newspapers from British Newspaper Archive. Some photographs purchased by the author from www.alamy.com. See Less