Two British nationals sustained serious injuries after scaffolding for loudspeakers and advertising hoardings collapsed onto them on the first day of the Teknofest aerospace and technology festival at the north’s Ercan (Tymbou) airport on Thursday.

The pair, named as 56-year-old Phil Conkie and 55-year-old Paul Savage, were hospitalised on Thursday afternoon after the 20-metre-high structure collapsed onto them following a gust of wind.

Both were taken to north Nicosia’s Dr Burhan Nalbantoglu hospital and underwent surgery, with one now in intensive care after suffering a serious head injury.

A third person, 67-year-old Nurcihan Caluda, was administered first aid after falling when attempting to run away from the collapsing structure.

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel, and ‘health minister’ Hakan Dincyurek all visited the hospital, with Ustel saying after his visit that the pair had been injured “when a sudden strong wind blew the structure over.

“However, the good news we received from our doctors is that the situation is under control and the patients’ general health is good,” he said, before wishing the pair a speedy recovery.

Traffic was also an issue on the first day of the festival, with the road linking the airport and the motorway between Nicosia and Famagusta gridlocked for much of Thursday due to the high number of visitors.

As such, Ercan (Tymbou) airport advised travellers to plan to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their planned departure time, and said passengers should not use the main airport road.

In total, over 60,000 people attended the first day of Teknofest, with Tatar addressing attendees at the airport during the day.

“Our youth turning to technology is of vital importance in terms of establishing a more efficient economic structure in the future. For this reason, events such as Teknofest are very valuable,” he said.