http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/cyprus/8630547/12-killed-in-Cyprus-when-Iranian-arms-depot-explodes.html
12 killed in Cyprus when Iranian arms depot explodes
At least 12 people were killed when a depot containing seized Iranian arms exploded at Cyprus's main naval base, destroying the island's biggest power station resulting in widespread blackouts.
The 98 barrels containing an estimated 2,000 tonnes of high explosive had been stored for two years in the open, in temperatures of up to 102F (40C), despite concerns of officers from the Cypriot National Guard.
The explosion at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base, on the southern coast of the island near the town of Zygi, happened shortly before 6am local time. Fire services had been called to a blaze at the base, apparently in the brush, at 4.24, but the flames enveloped two of the barrels, setting off the blast.
The shock wave could be heard 40 miles away in the capital, Nicosia.The country's defence minister and military chief both resigned in the wake of the explosion, which also injured 62 people.
Television footage showed the walls stripped from the power plant at Vassilikou, next to the base, which supplies more than half Cyprus's electricity. The authorities urged residents to cut down their use of both electricity and water, since much of the island's drinking supplies comes from desalination plants.
Also affected by the power outage was a BBC relay station, six of whose transmitters, broadcasting English-language services to the Middle East, were disrupted.
Houses and the popular tourist restaurants and bars at Zygi and the nearby fishing village of Mari had windows and roofs blown in. All 150 residents of Mari were evacuated.
Destroyed and damaged cars lined the main coastal road. The commerce minister, Antonis Paschalides, described it as a "tragedy of Biblical dimensions".
A witness who was driving near the base at the time said it felt "like a bomb had dropped".
The explosion killed two sailors, four soldiers from the National Guard and five firemen. A government spokesman ruled out sabotage.
British officials were also investigating why an offer to help dispose of the explosives, made shortly after their seizure in January 2009, was not taken up.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “The UK was among a number of countries that offered to assist the Republic in disposal of the Monchegorsk cargo. In a similar spirit we have also offered to provide assistance to the Republic in dealing with this tragic incident. UK military explosives experts visited the site this evening to put their expertise at the disposal of the authorities.”
Caroline Flint, then minister for Europe, said Britain and other nations stood ready to help "in whatever way we can".
The arms were seized when local authorities, under pressure from the United States, impounded a Cypriot-flagged, Russian-owned ship, MV Monchegorsk, which had been hired by a state-owned Iranian shipping line to deliver a shipment to Latakia in Syria.
It had been noticed by the US navy shortly after leaving the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, and searched in the Red Sea by US warships. On board were 3,300 pallets containing high explosive, bullet casings and primers. The US and Israel believed they were supplies for Hamas, the militant group in control of Gaza which is close to both Syria and Iran.
The shipment was seen to be in violation of 2007 UN sanctions banning the export of weapons from Iran Britain has about 3,500 military personnel based in Cyprus, most at the RAF Akrotiri air base about 25 miles away from Zygi and at Dhekelia in the east of the island. There were no initial reports of British casualties.
The two bases are legally British sovereign territory under terms agreed when Cyprus won its independence in the 50s, and are a source of resentment to some islanders and leftist political groups.
Fuckin' ridiculous that the Cypriot authorities never took up the offer.
Paphos, is the power station close to Governor's Beach ?
I seem to remember a power station type facility close by when me and The War Office spent a day at the beach there ?
I suppose they'll be gangs of Romanians/Albanians mooching about taking advantage of the power cuts ? Get tooled up mate..haha.
