Evangelos Florakis Naval Base, Mari

Widely seen as the worst disaster in Cyprus since 1974

Local name: Ναυτική Βάση «Ευάγγελος Φλωράκης», Μαρί

Collection: Cyprus Basics Exam · Cyprus · Open in OpenStreetMap

The story

In 2009, under UN sanctions against Iran, Cyprus seized the cargo of the ship Monchegorsk, sailing from Iran to Syria. Ninety-eight containers, mostly holding gunpowder and other explosives, stood in the open for almost two and a half years at the Evangelos Florakis naval base near the village of Mari. Early in the morning of July 11, 2011, they exploded. Thirteen people were killed, soldiers and firefighters, and another 62 were injured. The blast knocked out the nearby Vasilikos power station, the largest on the island, and hit the economy hard. An inquiry appointed by the government placed the main responsibility on the president at the time, Dimitris Christofias.

On July 11, 2011, at the Evangelos Florakis base in Mari, containers of gunpowder seized in 2009 from the ship Monchegorsk exploded; 13 people were killed, and the Vasilikos power station was knocked out. The inquiry by Polys Polyviou placed the main responsibility on the president at the time, Dimitris Christofias.

Visiting

This is a working military base: outsiders are not let in. The place counts as found when you drive past on the old B1 road or the A1 highway. Do not stop at the gates or photograph military sites.

On the way

• Paphos → Nicosia
• Limassol → Nicosia
• Larnaca → Limassol

Sources

• Πόρισμα Μονομελούς Ερευνητικής Επιτροπής (Πόλυς Πολυβίου) για την έκρηξη στη Ναυτική Βάση «Ευάγγελος Φλωράκης», 30.09.2011 (archived PDF copy from the ΚΥΠΕ/CNA website)
• Electricity Authority of Cyprus — Vasilikos Power Station
• Sigmalive — 15 years since the deadly Mari explosion, 13 heroes remembered

This text was written by AI from open sources. An expert will still check it. Found a mistake? Write to us. Support