Cyprus: Zygi naval base munitions blast kills 12

The explosion, at 0600 (0300 GMT) is thought to have been caused by brushfires which spread to the depot in the naval base at Zygi.

The island's largest power station has been knocked out, resulting in widespread power cuts.

The munitions depot contained explosives seized in 2009 from a ship travelling from Iran.

There is no indication that the cause of the blast was deliberate, says the BBC's Tabitha Morgan in Nicosia.

State radio said the dead included two sailors from the Cyprus navy, two soldiers and five firefighters.

Power cuts

Two containers of explosive stored in the munitions dump at the Evangelos Florakis naval base caught fire, a police spokesman told the semi-official CNA news agency.

In all, there were 98 containers in the depot.

They had been seized from a Cypriot-flagged ship, the Monchegorsk, which was intercepted travelling from Iran in January 2009.

Cyprus said the shipment violated UN sanctions on Iran.

The fire spread to the nearby Vassilikou power station, causing widespread electricity cuts. It is the largest power station on the island; Kazinform cites BBC News.

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