Nicosia: Thousands of Greek Cypriots have poured on to the streets in the capital city of Nicosia to protest the deaths of 12 people on Monday in a major blast at a military base in southern Cyprus. Police fired volleys of tear gas to disperse demonstrators, who marched on to the presidential palace and attempted to force their way into the building on Tuesday.According to a police spokesman, two gunpowder containers in a munitions dump at the Zygi naval base south of the Mediterranean island caught fire, causing the deadly blast.
The marchers blame negligence of government officials for the fatal explosion at the base.
The Cypriot government has declined to provide an explanation for keeping the ammunition there for over two years. Around 100 containers packed with gunpowder had been heaped in an area at the base since 2009.
Pointing to the planned inquiry into the incident, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said, “All will be investigated thoroughly and responsibility will be apportioned where it is due.”
The Greek Cypriot Defense Minister Costas Papacostas and National Guard commander Petros Tsaliklides resigned soon after the catastrophic incident.
President Dimitris Christofias also came under fire from protesters, who displayed a banner saying, “Christofias is a murderer and must go to jail.”
The blast killed Cyprus’ navy chief, Andreas Ioannides, the Evangelos Florakis base commander, Lambros Lambrou, and four other base personnel as well as six fire fighters, while injuring more than 60 others.
The explosion also inflicted serious damage on Cyprus’s largest power station causing power outages across the country, and impairing 250 buildings within the 50-kilometer radius of the base.
