Mutual sorrow was shared across the Green Line dividing Cyprus after two 16-year-old schoolgirls and their driver were killed in a bus accident at 06:10 am in Turkish-held Kyrenia.
Three other children are in critical condition in Bourhan Nalbandoglou Hospital.
The accident happened when the bus - en route to school - crashed head-on into a heavy-duty truck. The 25-year-old driver has been arrested, according to information from the Turkish-Cypriot news media.
Turkish-Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci said the pain was too great to bear and updated his Twitter profile with an all-black photo. President Anastasiades and other political leaders sent messages of sympathy.
Condolences have flooded the social media space in Cyprus, as everyone’s hearts go out to the bereaved families.