NICOSIA – Cypriot Labour Minister Zeta Emilianidou was taken to a hospital in Athens after suffering a cerebral aneurysm and was undergoing surgery the morning of May 16, the government said, reporting she was in critical condition.

The Cyprus Mail said that a  statement from the government spokesman’s office said Emilianidou, 67, was initially admitted to a private hospital in Nicosia and then due to the seriousness of her condition was taken to Greece.

An announcement from the health ministry said Emilianidou’s condition was critical. The ministry said she had suffered severe headaches the night before and was taken immediately to a private clinic where her condition was diagnosed.

“After coordinated efforts by the minister of health and the ministry’s director general, Ms. Emilianidou was transported urgently by air-ambulance to a specialized medical center in Greece and is now undergoing surgery,” the ministry said. “Her state of health is considered critical.”

Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantelas traveled to Athens with her and the paper said she initially been rushed to the American Medical Centre in Nicosia whose Director Marinos Sotiriou said when she left for Athens on as special flight the minister was still conscious.

He said she had been plagued by headaches from Sunday afternoon, and was diagnosed with an aneurysm leading to some bleeding on the brain.

“When she left us, she was awake and okay,” he said. “Then her condition worsened during the transport and she fell into a coma. We do not know how much bleeding she had [by then],” he told the paper.