British family warns of ‘unlicensed’ hotel where son died
The family of a British teenager who drowned in a filthy hotel swimming pool while on holiday in Cyprus has issued a statement warning people about the ‘unlicensed’ property.
Savvakis Alexandros Georgiou fell into the pool at the 194-room Kalypso Hotel in the resort of Ayia Napa during an all-night party.
Although there were more than 20 other people in the pool at the time, no-one spotted the 18-year-old was in trouble until someone tripped over his body lying on the bottom.
It is believed he was under water for up to 20 minutes, and that nobody spotted him because the pool was covered in algae and littered with rubbish, including syringes, condoms and cigarette butts.
An independent coroner said the pool was ‘murky and littered with rubbish’, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
The teenager from Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, a footballer who was on the books of Stevenage FC, was pronounced dead at Famagusta Hospital.
He had travelled to the party resort with his cousin after visiting his grandparents in nearby Protaras.
He held a booking for the Fedra Hotel, but was told there had been a mix-up and he would have to stay in its sister property, The Kalypso.
A statement issued by his parents Elbida and George Georgiou said the hotel had not received an operating licence from the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, despite submitting an application since 2013.
They also claimed it had not received approval from the local council to open the swimming pool to the public.
"On the one hand the hotel continues to welcome unsuspecting holiday makers into their illegally operating premises. On the other hand, none of the responsible authorities have taken any further measures in closing them down," it said.
Of the 85 reviews of the hotel on TripAdvisor, 53 rated it as ‘terrible’.
The owners, a father and son aged 63 and 33, were arrested on suspicion of not holding the correct hotel and pool permits, but they have been released without charge as the investigation continues.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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