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British tourist killed in Cyprus hit and run

A British tourist was killed and his friend injured in a suspected hit-and-run in Cyprus.

The dead man, named locally as Charlie Birch, 39, and his friend, who is 32, were on a road near Paphos at about 2.30am local time on Sunday when they were hit by a car.

The two Britons, both from Powys in Wales, had earlier stepped in to defend a woman who was being assaulted by one of the suspects at a bar in the resort of Coral Bay, according to local media reports.

The car thought to have been involved was found abandoned at dawn at Agios Georgios harbour to the north, Cyprus News Agency said.

Cyprus Police said that one man died at the scene and the other was in hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

A man aged 35 and a woman aged 23 face charges of premeditated murder and attempted murder. They were remanded for eight days by Paphos district court.

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We are offering advice and support to the family of a British man following his death in Cyprus, and are in contact with the Cypriot authorities.”

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