Blast Kills at Least 12 Soldiers in Cyprus

Smoke from the nearby Evangelos Florakis navy base swirls around the damaged Mari power station - the island`s primary electricity generator - Cyprus, July 11, 2011. Photo by BGNES

A deadly blast at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base at Zygi, southern Cyprus, killed at least 12 soldiers and wounded around 30 on Monday.

The blast apparently resulted from munitions on a cargo ship catching fire, the Cyprus News Agency said, as cited by CNN.

"There were 98 containers of gunpowder. Two of them [caught] fire and huge explosions occurred," the Cyprus News Agency quoted a police spokesman as saying.

The island's largest power station, Vasilikos, has been knocked out, resulting in widespread power cuts. A third of the island was without power early on Monday.

There is no indication that the cause of the blast was deliberate, BBC's correspondent in Nicosia has stated.