The Limassol-Nicosia highway, which had been closed earlier on Friday morning near Ayios Georgios Alamanos, has been reopened to traffic, police announced.

A section of the highway had been closed since dawn due to a fire in the body of an articulated truck.

A backlog of heavy traffic is currently moving through the area, and police urged caution to drivers.

Forces from the Limassol and Vasiliko fire stations had dispatched four staffed vehicles at 4.21am to the scene, fire service spokesman, Andreas Kettis said.

The lorry which had been carrying a cold milling and asphalt removal machine, had been travelling on the highway, near the Governor’s Beach exit, when an overheated tyre appears to have caused the fire.

The truck and the machinery being transporting were extensively damaged and water hoses and breathing apparatus were used to extinguish the fire.

Traffic had been diverted to the old Limassol-Nicosia road, via the exit to Ayios Georgios Alamanos and drivers were urged to use earlier exits and return to the highway via the onramp at Zygi.