NEWS

Verdict on 2011 Cyprus naval base blast expected on Tuesday

A Cypriot court is expected to decide on Tuesday whether six senior officials were responsible for the 2011 blast at a munitions dump that killed 13 people and knocked out the island’s biggest power station leading to severe power cuts across the island.

The explosion occurred when nearly 100 containers of seized Iranian munitions stored at the Evangelos Florakis naval base in Mari, on the island’s south coast, blew up.

The officials, who include then foreign minister Markos Kyprianou and then defense minister Costas Papakostas, have all pleaded not guilty to manslaughter charges which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The six defendants also face charges of causing death through negligence and dereliction of duty.

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