Cypriot publication: Bulgarian children were locked in their father's car for over three hours

The tragedy involving the two Bulgarian children found dead in a car in Xylotymvou, Cyprus, continues to shake the local community and raise difficult questions about responsibility and child safety. According to information published by the Cypriot edition "Philenews", data collected so far indicates that the two boys were locked in their father's car for a period of over three hours in high temperatures.

What the camera recordings show
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon. The children were left unsupervised after both the 30-year-old father and his 38-year-old partner went to work in the morning. A surveillance camera installed in the area, which activates upon motion detection, plays a key role in the events.

It was this camera that provided the first clear answers about what happened – it captured the children leaving the house, entering the vehicle, and playing inside. At one point, the recording stops because the movement ceases, which is interpreted as the moment the children were no longer moving in the car. Based on the time stamps, investigators believe the children were inside for over three hours in intense heat.

Discovery of the children and initial reaction
The children were found unconscious around 17:30 by the father's partner when she returned from work, where she had gone around 08:00 in the morning. Upon her arrival, she found the two children in the car, unresponsive, and immediately notified the police. A little later, the tragic news was reported to the father, who was working in Limassol at the time.

The investigators' preliminary assumptions are that due to the high temperatures in the car, the internal environment heated up to dangerous levels, and the children remained trapped in the severely overheated vehicle. The case is being viewed as a classic example of death resulting from overheating in a closed car, in the absence of air and the ability to exit.

Two key questions for the investigation
Investigators from the British Bases police, who are in charge of the case, are asking two main questions that must be answered through questioning and technical expertise.

The first question is why the car was locked, given that according to collected data, the children were able to enter through an open door. One of the versions being checked is whether a failure occurred in the locking system – automatic locking or a technical malfunction that prevented the children from getting out. Therefore, specialized technical examinations are being carried out, including with the assistance of a representative of the car manufacturer.

The second question is why the children left the house. People close to the father claim there was a problem with a specific person in the apartment building who was putting pressure on them due to the children's presence, and it is possible they got scared and went outside. "Everything is under investigation," a police source from the British Bases commented to the local newspaper when asked about these allegations.

Legal charges and arrests
Based on the evidence collected so far, the British Bases police are investigating the causing of death due to a "negligent and dangerous act." It is under this legal qualification that the father and his partner were arrested early on.

The two suspects were brought before the court in Dhekelia in a state of shock. After a lengthy hearing, judge "Karl Gunsley" ordered a three-day detention, accepting only the argument regarding the risk of fleeing. The police had requested a four-day arrest, but the court did not fully grant it.

The father's defense attorney, "Andriana Claidi", objected to his detention and pointed out that the negligence charge is based on assumptions, as the causes of the children's death have not yet been definitively established. The lawyer for the 38-year-old woman, "Christos Mouskos", did not oppose her detention.

Competence and international cooperation
The investigator on the case, Deputy Inspector "Christodoulos Christodoulou" from the criminal investigation department of the British Bases police, explained that they are taking over the investigation because the fatal car was parked on the territory of the bases. The apartment building where the father and children lived, although only a few meters down, is located in the territory of the "Republic of Cyprus".

About 25 witness statements are to be taken – mainly from residents of the area – and the British Bases police will request assistance from the Cypriot police. In addition, assistance will be requested from the Bulgarian authorities to take a statement from the mother of the two children, who does not live in Cyprus.

The children and their arrival in Cyprus
According to information provided by the British Bases police, the two boys arrived in Cyprus in mid-May, accompanied by their father. This means they had been in the country for a relatively short time before the tragedy, which likely further complicates the emotional background and relationships within the family and the community.

The case raises painful questions about parental responsibility, child safety in a hot climate, and the role of institutions that must react and prevent such tragedies. As the police continue their investigation, society in Cyprus and Bulgaria follows the development with the hope that all circumstances will be clarified and measures will be taken so that similar cases are not repeated.