Two young lives were lost in the most horrific way, shocking the entire island of Cyprus. Two brothers, ages 8 and 10, who had arrived a few weeks earlier from Bulgaria to live with their father, died helplessly, side by side, inside his car.

“I saw a wrecked car and the kids on the floor… that’s what I saw—what can I say…”
_{^{A cousin of the father of the tragically lost children}}

The children were found by their stepmother at 5:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon, inside the fateful vehicle outside the house. She notified the police, while the father was informed of the unspeakable tragedy by his employer.

Every second was critical. Rescuers rushed to the scene, and in order to free the two children from the vehicle, they were forced to break the windows, racing against time in an effort to pull them out alive.

“It’s truly heartbreaking. Two little souls who came to see their father are now returning home in two coffins…”
_{^{George Ioulianos – Community Leader of Xylofagos}}

READ ALSO: The two children’s final movements: What the poor-quality CCTV footage shows, what they were looking for on their father’s and stepmother’s cell phones

Outside the house, scenes of an ancient tragedy are unfolding.

At 7:55 p.m., the British Bases Police arrested the girlfriend, and half an hour later, the father, who was at the scene, devastated.

Until the early hours of the morning, the Bases Police were conducting investigations…

The testimonies are shocking

The account given to Alpha by the father’s cousin, who lives in a neighboring house, is shocking.

“We arrived on May 16 with the babies. One of the doors is faulty and won’t lock. The doors won’t open from the inside—they only open from the outside. The babies went inside to sit and play… I don’t know what they were doing.”

READ ALSO: Children were playing carefree in the area before the tragedy: Interrupted video footage from a camera in the hands of the authorities

According to reports, a person familiar with the family claimed that the homeowner allegedly did not want the children on the property. This same testimony leaves open the possibility that the two siblings, frightened, sought refuge inside the vehicle. These allegations are currently being investigated.

“The homeowner didn’t want the babies, and every day he chased them away because they were breaking the flowers. Two or three days ago, the power went out, and he kicked them out. ‘We don’t want any babies here,’ he said.”

READ ALSO: The siblings found dead in a vehicle were on vacation in Cyprus; their father and stepmother were absent from work (PHOTO)

Investigators are examining all possibilities. Particular emphasis is being placed on the circumstances under which the children became trapped in the car.

Crucial to the course of the investigation will be the forensic examinations, which will be conducted by a specialist pathologist arriving from Greece, a development that is expected to shed light on the exact circumstances under which the two children lost their lives so unjustly.

Watch Katerina Ioannou’s report: