Damage to power plant Photo: AP

This morning, an explosion at a munitions dump at the Evangelos Florakis naval base on the southern coast of Cyprus has killed at least 17 and injured over 40.  The explosion knocked out the island’s largest power station at Vassilik and did significant damage to the neighboring community.   Cypriot President Dimitris Christopfias, described the explosion as “a catastrophe of biblical proportions.”   The cause of the explosion is yet to be determined but is believed to have been triggered by brush fires which ignited  more than two thousand tons of black powder confiscated in 2009 from a Cypriot-flagged vessel M/V Monchegorsk bound for Iran.

 Blast at Cypriot naval base kills ‘at least’ 17