A fire has broken out in the building of the Russian Center of Science and Culture in Nicosia, the center's head, Alina Radchenko, told Sputnik on Wednesday, adding that arson is not excluded
ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2023) A fire has broken out in the building of the Russian Center of Science and Culture in Nicosia, the center's head, Alina Radchenko, told Sputnik on Wednesday, adding that arson is not excluded.
"At about 1:30 p.m. (local time, 10:30 GMT), we heard two bangs. They were not connected with anything, then it turned out that our building caught fire. The fire was strong. According to eyewitnesses, most likely, something was thrown into the center's building itself," Radchenko said.
No one was injured in the fire, she added.
"Everybody has been evacuated, everyone was warned, the police and the firefighters sealed the building, everyone arrived on time. I personally do not worry that someone could have been left inside. No one was harmed," Radchenko said in an interview with the Russia-24 tv channel.
The fire caused great damage, as a whole wall, roof and materials burned down, the center's head said, noting that it has been put out and police are working at the scene.
The damage has yet to be assessed, she said, noting that the incident occurred at the place where all the office premises are located.
Later, the Russian Embassy in Cyprus said that its head, Murat Zyazikov, had arrived at the scene, and that the local police was working together with Russian diplomats to elucidate the causes of the fire.
Yevgeny Primakov, the head of the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation, said that if the use of an incendiary device such as a Molotov cocktail is confirmed, the incident will be designated a terrorist attack.
