CYPRUS: Explosion at a naval base is felt for several kilometres cutting off power and striking hotels and homes on the popular tourist island

Record ID: 487330

  • Title: CYPRUS: Explosion at a naval base is felt for several kilometres cutting off power and striking hotels and homes on the popular tourist island
  • Date: 12th July 2011
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOURIST MIKE JULIAN SAYING: "There was a couple of German girls in the apartment above us and they were dead set that they were going to the airport and we actually crossed them later in the afternoon and they had spent the better part of the day at the airport to catch a flight, if necessary, because they had no idea what was going on." VARIOUS OF COFFEE SHOP WITH TOURISTS WATCHING THE NEWS
  • Embargoed: 27th July 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Cyprus, Cyprus
  • Country: Cyprus
  • Topics: Accidents,Travel / Tourism
  • Reuters ID: LVA9DW2H2MXI2MAGFAETYFV6CHNR
  • Story Text: The blast on Monday (July 11) at the Evangelos Florakis naval base in the south of the island almost levelled a nearby power station, Cyprus's largest which produces close to 60 percent of the island's energy needs, causing power outages in many areas including the capital, at a time of sizzling temperatures and increased seasonal demand.
    Damage was also caused to a hotel in the area and other buildings in nearby communities. Communications on the popular holiday island were patchy, as mobile networks were jammed.
    Authorities issued emergency appeals for people to switch off non-essential electrical equipment.
    One seaside hotel in Governors Beach, an area one kilometre from the blast, suffered damage estimated at about 60,000 euros, and one tourist was hurt by glass shattering.
    "I came here straight away around ten past six. I found this situation here. Everything was broken. Windows, doors, aluminum, the ceiling, everything was torn apart," said hotel owner Giorgos Potamides, as he described what occured.
    "The damage we have suffered is around 60,000 -70,000 thousand euros." he said, adding, "I think the tourists were scared but I think they are going to get over it. This is not a permanent thing, it's temporary. Material damages can be replaced, we can fix everything, but some people are gone, some lives were lost."
    Tourists in the district watched the television images from a local cafe, saying they were shocked by the impact and damage of the blast.
    "Apart from the sudden shock when the second bang hit things have been pretty quiet and relaxed. I have seen a lot of damage, a lot of broken windows, but obviously closer to the impact it was worse." said Mike Julian, from New Zealand, who lives in Italy.
    "It was pretty shocking that we got no information in English about what happened and only a few guys in the village tried to explain or to let us know and only until we got to Larnaka, that's where we had basic information and that was a bit scary. We did not know whether we should leave or stay or what to do." said Carmen Ortler, who also lives in Italy.
    Julian described how two German tourists panicked and rushed to the airport to leave.
    "There was a couple of German girls in the apartment above us and they were dead set that they were going to the airport and we actually crossed them later in the afternoon and they had spent the better part of the day at the airport to catch a flight, if necessary, because they had no idea what was going on," he said.
    Police said among the 12 dead were the commander of the Cypriot navy and the commander of a military base.
    Other victims included army officers and six firefighters in the area to tackle a separate fire. Police said DNA testing would be required to verify the identity of the victims.
    Government officials earlier said the blast was triggered by munitions confiscated by Cyprus from a ship sailing from Iran to neighbouring Syria in 2009. About 98 shipping containers carrying the material had been kept at the facility.
    Cyprus's defence minister and army chief both resigned hours after the explosion. Early inquiries appeared to rule out sabotage, government officials said. The Iranian armaments were the cargo from the Monchegorsk, a ship Cyprus intercepted in 2009 sailing from Iran to Syria in violation of U.N. sanctions on Iran.
    Cyprus took the munitions material in after pressure from the U.S. in January 2009. In an account of the incident disclosed by WikiLeaks, the U.S. embassy in Nicosia had described Cypriot participation in the exercise "half-hearted".
    There were no indications of the economic cost of the disaster, but it will add pressure on a government already facing a need to slash deficits to stave further cuts by credit ratings agencies.
    The island was hit by rolling power cuts as authorities attempted to juggle demand in a peak season. The agriculture ministry said all water desalination plants would shut.
    Authorities issued emergency appeals for people to switch off non-essential electrical equipment and the commerce ministry urged residents to use their own generators where possible.
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