At least 10 people were feared dead after a huge explosion caused by a brush fire that broke out and spread to the Cypriot National Guard naval base.
The explosion occurred around 6 a.m., Monday at the Evangelos Florakis Naval base on the Meditteranean Island’s Southern coast. The dead included two Cyprus navy sailors, two soldiers, and five firefighters.
Leonidas Leonidou, fire department spokesman said firefighters had received a call at 4:27 a.m. reporting that fire was inside the base and near containers.
A Defense Ministry official said that the blast seemed to have been caused by a brush fire that set light to containers of gunpowder.
The explosion caused injuries and extensive damage to homes near the naval base and several damaged cars were evident near the base.
The island’s main power was also damaged leading to power cuts in several areas, including southern town of Larnaca.
The power station would remain offline for at least the rest of the day. Even Paphos and Larnaca airports were reducing power consumption and had used their generators.
According to Cyprus Electricity Authority official Yiannis Tsouloftas, the island’s two other smaller power stations were also doing their best to cover electricity demand. He appealed to the public to limit their electricity consumption.
National Guard Chief Petros Tsalikides who was at the naval base said that the explosion caused a great catastrophe.
