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Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion

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The Evangelos Florakis Navy Base explosion was the worst peacetime military accident in Cypriot history.[1] Ninety eight shipping containers of gunpowder were accidentally detonated on the Evangelos Florakis Navy Base, owned by the Cyprus Navy, on 11 July 2011. The explosion killed 12 people, including Andreas Ioannides, the head of Cyprus Navy and Lambros Lambrou, the commander of the base. A further 62 people were injured. A power station producing 60% of the electricity in Cyprus was heavily damaged and could not quickly be brought back online.[2]

Firefighters attended the base in the early hours of the morning to deal with a small fire in a storage area, and the explosion, apparently caused by the flames coming into contact with seized ammunition, occurred at 05:50 EEST (02:50 UTC)

Background

The Evangelos Florakis Navy Base is a Cyprus Navy base, situated near Zygi, between Limassol and Larnaca.[3]

In storage on the base were 98 containers of explosives[4] that had been seized by the United States Navy in 2009 after it intercepted a Cypriot-flagged, Russian owned vessel, the MV Mochengorsk travelling from Iran to Syria in the Red Sea.[2][5] According to leaked US cables through WikiLeaks, released in 2011, the US through Hillary Clinton exerted pressure on Cyprus to confiscate the shipment.[6] The ship was escorted to a Cypriot port and the Cyprus Navy was given responsibility for the explosives, which it moved to the Evangelos Florakis a month later.[7] At the time of the incident in 2011, the explosives had apparently been left in the open for over two years. The Cypriot government had declined offers from Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States to remove or dispose of the material, having feared an adverse reaction from Syria.[4] The government had instead requested that the UN effect the removal, but claimed that its request had been rejected.[8]

Explosion

The explosion occurred at 05:50 EEST (02:50 UTC), when flames from a small fire in a storage facility on the Evangelos Florakis base came into contact with the containers of explosives.

Every house in the village of Zygi was damaged by the blast, which was felt in the village of Mari over 3 miles (5 kilometres) from Zygi. The Vasilikos power plant, the largest power facility on Cyprus, which provides approximately half the island's electricity, was severely damaged, causing widespread power cuts which affected much of Nicosia, the Cypriot capital, over 40 miles (65 km) from the Evangelos Florakis base.[9]

The blast killed 12 people and injured a further 62, of whom two were injured seriously. Among those killed were Captain Andreas Ioannides, the Commander of the Navy (the professional head of the Cyprus Navy) and Commander Lambros Lambrou, the commander of the Evangelos Florakis base.[10] Also killed were four other Cyprus Navy personnel and six civilian firefighters who had been tackling the small blaze that led to the explosion.[4]

Aftermath

The Cypriot Defence Minister, Costas Papacostas, and the National Guard Commander-in-Chief, General Petros Tsalikidis, both resigned from their offices as a result of the incident.[2][8] The government announced that an independent inquiry into the incident would be held.[7] The explosion destroyed several houses, leaving approximately 150 people displaced, and over 250 other houses suffered lesser damage.[4][7]

The authorities have instituted rolling blackouts, ceased operating seawater desalination plants and asked the public to cut energy usage to preserve what remains of the island's electrical supply. Numerous important buildings, including airports and hotels, are currently running off of reserve power, and as such are mostly unaffected by the power outage. Hotel guests, however, have been asked to not use the air conditioner, in order to save energy until the grid is restored.[11]

Approximately 2000 people upset by the Cypriot government's failure to dispose of the explosives held a demonstration in the capital Nicosia. Some stormed the Presidential Palace, demanding the resignation of Dimitris Christofias, President of Cyprus. The demonstrators were also involved in confrontation with the Cyprus Police, who used tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowds.[8]

Offers of Help

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has offered assistance to the Greek Cypriot Side following yesterday’s devastating explosion . TRNC President Derviş Eroğlu called the Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias to express his condolences to those killed in the blast, to offer help, and to provide electricity power to the Greek Cypriots after the power station was disabled.

TRNC Prime Minister İrsen Küçük said that he was deeply saddened over the loss of life in the explosion, and that the TRNC was ready and prepared to provide medical assistance as well as electricity power to the Greek Side if requested.

TRNC Minister of Economy and Energy Sunat Atun said that the TRNC had the excess capacity to supply electricity to South Cyprus, and that although an official request had not yet been made, the Electricity Authority of Cyprus had contacted the TRNC Electricity authority on the matter. [12]

References

  1. ^ "Cyprus protest over deadly blast at navy base". BBC News. 12 July 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "Cyprus: Navy chief killed by base munitions blast". BBC News. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  3. ^ Dewhurst, Patrick (11 July 2011). "Breaking News: huge explosion at Evangelos Florakis naval base". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d Evripidou, Stefanos (12 July 2011). "'Criminal errors' in navy base blast". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  5. ^ "Negligence charged in Cyprus explosion". UPI. Nicosia, Cyprus. 12 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  6. ^ Hazou, Elias (3 July 2011). "A diplomatic vice with no room to wriggle". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  7. ^ a b c "Protests follow Cyprus navy fire deaths". Financial Times. The Financial Times Limited. 12 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b c Spencer, Richard (12 July 2011). "Anger grows in Cyprus over 'criminal errors' behind explosion". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  9. ^ Psyllides, George (11 July 2011). "Evangelos Florakis blast kills 12". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  10. ^ "The victims of the naval base tragedy". Cyprus Mail. 12 July 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  11. ^ Hirsti, Kristine (11 July 2011). "Minst 12 døde i eksplosjon på militærbase på Kypros". NRK Nyheter (in Norewgian). Retrieved 12 July 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  12. ^ http://www.brtk.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31141:president-erolu-called-gc-leader-christofias-to-express-his-condolences&catid=5:kktc&Itemid=28 BRT News
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