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Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Explosions Rock Military Zone in N. Cyprus


Thu 12 Sep 2019 | 08:34 AM
NaDa Mustafa

Successive explosions took place following a fire in a military zone on Thursday in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus's (TRNC) coastal city of Girne, according to Reuters.

The explosions occurred at an ammunition depot following a fire that began 30 minutes earlier, according to reports.

The area had been cordoned off as blasts continued at the military zone east of Kyrenia, the TRNC Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said on his Facebook page.

Ozersay revealed that the fire had been brought under control, noting that the cause of the initial explosion is still unclear.

A video showed large blasts and flames of smoke rising into the night sky over the area has been broadcast by CNN Turk.

“Unfortunately a fire broke out in an ammunition depot in the military zone east of Kyrenia and there was a series of explosions,” TRNC Foreign Minister said, adding that the area had been secured with police, warning people to keep away.

"There was no longer a risk in the area and it had not been necessary to evacuate a nearby hotel," Ozersay added in a statement to CNN Turk.

“People in the village of Arapkoy, some 12 km (7.5 miles) east of Kyrenia, had initially fled the area as a precaution during the blasts but residents had started returning home,” he said.