The Cypriot defence minister and army chief resigned today after a munitions dump blast killed 12 people, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said.
The explosion happened at a military base where confiscated Iranian munitions were being held. It shut down the island's largest power station, causing widespread power cuts.
"The explosion occured in material held since 2009 by the Republic from an Iranian vessel which was sailing to Syria . . . there are 12 dead and 62 injured," Mr Stefanou said.
He said that defence minister Costas Papacostas and army chief Petros Tsalikidis had submitted their resignations, which were accepted by President Demetris Christofias. There was no immediate word on the identity of those killed in the blast. Stefanou said the victims were all Cypriots.
Fire from the blast spread to Vassilikos, an electricity facility which provides Cyprus with half of its power. "We can't assess the extent of the damage, but it's a biblical disaster," spokesman Costas Gavrielides said.
Witnesses reported "raining metal" on a nearby motorway. "It was huge. I fell out of bed and ran to check on the kids," said Eleni Toubi, a resident of Mari, a village which is separated from the navy base by a small hill. Windows and doors of her small home were blown out and the roof damaged.
Farmer Nicos Aspros was out tilling his field when the blast occurred. "My tractor jumped about half a metre high," he said. "There isn't a house in the community which hasn't been damaged."
The military base stored munitions from the Monchegorsk, which Cyprus intercepted sailing from Iran to Syria in 2009 after pressure from the United States, confiscating its cargo for being in violation of UN sanctions on Iran.
The intensity of the blast caused extensive damage to property nearby and to a popular tourist resort 3km away, where windows and doors of beachside restaurants were blown out.
Reuters