Brit, 88, burns to death alongside his dog after car catches fire on his way to visit Cyprus animal shelter

Published: 12:22, 4 August 2026 | Updated: 12:29, 4 August 2026 A British pensioner and his dog burnt to death in Cyprus while trapped in a burning car as he drove to an animal shelter.  The body of the 88-year-old was found on Saturday outside the car's passenger door.  It is understood the British national was attempting to escape after the car caught fire from a blaze that was fed from reed beds on a dirt road in Avgorou, a southeastern region in Cyprus.  The man had driven around 138km (86 miles) from his home in Pachna, near the southern coast, to visit a dog shelter in the Famagusta district, according to local media.  The white car is believed to have become stuck in the mud, after the pensioner, accompanied by his care worker, got lost. The man reportedly made numerous efforts to flee the vehicle before sparks from the car set nearby dry reeds alight, causing the fire to engulf the car.  The female care worker escaped and told police she urged the man to leave the vehicle.  The pensioner instead told her to leave him and seek help, according to her statement given to police.  The white car (pictured) is believed to have become stuck in the mud, after the pensioner, accompanied by his care worker, got lost - before it set alight Emergency services later found the man's body beside the car after the fire was controlled. His dog also died in the blaze. Police are investigating, as reported by Cyprus Mail.  This comes as a British father was charged over the death of his two-year-old son at a luxury hotel in Cyprus.  The 37-year-old city banker said he placed the toddler on the windowsill while waiting for the lift at the King Evelthon Hotel near Paphos believing the window was closed. But it had been left wide open and the boy slipped and fell 33ft from the fourth storey onto the veranda below where he died on July 12. The father was given permission on Monday to return home for the boy's funeral. The restriction that required him to remain on the Mediterranean island was lifted for one month on humanitarian grounds after he put up an extra €10,000 in bail. His passport will be returned to him on Wednesday and his name removed from the stop list for one month. It means he can join his wife and surviving daughter, five, who returned to Britain with the son's body last Wednesday. His 'relieved' family said in a statement today that the decision meant they could now 'begin the heartbreaking task of organising their son’s funeral'.