Eerie collection of abandoned cars all ditched by families fleeing the same terrifying force – & bids to reunite them
AN eerie collection of abandoned cars have been left to rust for four decades after familes abandoned them during a terrifying conflict.
The vast collection of 400 motors were abadonded in Cyprus when a Turkish invasion claimed over a third of the island in 1974.
The rusty spread of vehicles were left behind on the island, in Akrotiri near Limassol town, on land forming part of British Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs).
They were left by Turkish Cypriots who were forced to abandon their way of life when a Greek military group led a Turkish invasion that wanted to unite the island with mainland Greece.
Ultimately - when Turkey sent troops following a coup by supporters of union with Greece - it left the country divided.
As it stands today, the de-facto border that splits the northern and southern areas of Cyprus has remained for over 40 years.
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But, in a conflict that forced 39,000 inhabitants to flee, some have tried to reunite families with the precious vehicles that they were forced to leave behind.
The collection of old cars includes piles of 1960s-era Austins, Dodges and Vauxhalls, as well as buses and bikes.
The area where they sit is classified as British territory and has remained in a compound inside Episkopi (Akrotiri) Garrison.
A project that was helped along by Ian Brayshaw, a Brit employed at the base, hopes to reunite as many of the vehicles as possible with the families who had to leave them behind.
As part of the project, first reported in 2016, he helped to create a database on the base's administration website, reports digitaljournal.
Each motor has been photographed and logged along with details about them so the former owners can make a claim to retrieve them.
And, as reported by euronews, Policy Support officer for the SBAs Administration, Ian Brayshaw, said: “We’re going to try to repatriate as many of these vehicles as we can.
"We have lists of owners, we’ve got adverts on our website, we’ve got adverts in the Turkish Cypriot media, and we’ve had a little interest as well.”
Although most of the vehicles suffered heavy damage in 1991 - Brayshaw believes the cars are "bits of history"
Around 20 people have been in touch with the site that logs the details.
When someone does claim ownership - and it's proved - they will have to front the cost of the delivery of theirs, or a former relative's forgotten motor.
But Ian Brayshaw said the money will be used for Turkish Cypriot community projects.
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It's not the only resting place of dozens of abandoned motors, as a Youtuber discovered a graveyard of hidden motors in a Japanese rice field.
The site is the resting place of a variety of luxury motors that have been left to rust, and some other vehicles include jet skis.
