Evangelos Florakis Naval Base explosion
The crater produced by the explosion, photographed in 2013 | |
| Native name | Έκρηξη στη ναυτική βάση «Ευάγγελος Φλωράκης» |
|---|---|
| Date | 11 July 2011 |
| Time | 05:50 EEST |
| Location | Mari, Cyprus |
| Coordinates | 34°43′41″N 33°17′08″E / 34.7281°N 33.2855°E |
| Type | Accidental explosion |
| Deaths | 13 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 62 |
On 11 July 2011, at Evangelos Florakis Naval Base, situated at Mari, Larnaca District in Cyprus, a large amount of ammunition and military explosives self-detonated, killing 13 people, including the Commander of the Cyprus Navy, Andreas Ioannides, the base commander, Lambros Lambrou, and six firefighters. A further 62 people were injured. The explosion was the worst peacetime military accident ever recorded in Cyprus, with a yield of approximately 481 tons TNT equivalent, as determined by the official investigation into the accident. It was the largest artificial non-nuclear explosion of the 21st century until the 2020 Beirut explosions.