Cyprus Turkish army depot blast hurts 12, blows out windows at nearby hotel
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dozens of windows at a hotel in northern Cyprus were shattered Thursday morning after a pre-dawn explosion at a nearby army munitions depot that sent locals running.
Officials said that 12 people were slightly injured from the blast at the depot under the Turkish army’s munitions command about 4 miles east of the port town of Kyrenia. The blast occurred around 1:30 a.m. local time.
Sept. 12, 2019: Shattered glass doors at the Acapulco hotel in Kyrenia (Girne) in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) north of the divided Cypriot capital Nicosia, after the building was damaged when a military depot exploded nearby. - (AFP/Getty)
Early reports appeared to suggest that an undetected fire that broke out in the area may have triggered the explosion.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FRYING PAN EXPLOSION AT GERMAN VILLAGE FEST KILLS 1, INJURES 14
Videos shared on social media showed powerful explosions following the initial blast, sending some bystanders scattering.
A worker on a balcony, below right, cleans up the debris after an explosion at an army's munitions depot near the coastal city of Kyrenia in the Turkish occupied area at northern Cyprus, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019. (AP)
At the nearby Acapulco hotel, some tourists were treated for minor injuries after most of the hotel’s windows and sliding doors shattered as a result of the explosions. Hotel guests were later bussed to other accommodations until repairs could be completed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kudret Ozersay, the foreign minister, said that electricity has been cut in the vicinity of the blast while nearby homes had been evacuated. He also urged area residents to use caution as the blast hurled unexploded ordnance over a wide area.
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Ersin Tatar, prime minister of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of the ethnically divided nation, told reporters that nine of 12 individuals who suffered minor injuries were treated and released from the hospital. The other three remain in the hospital for observation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Investigators have already launched a probe to determine the blast's exact cause, Turkey’s defense ministry said.
Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence and keeps more than 35,000 troops in the north. (AP)
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Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence and keeps more than 35,000 troops in the north.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In July, Turkish Cypriot officials said that a Syrian, Russian-made S-200 anti-aircraft missile that missed its target and reached Cyprus around 120 miles away was the likely cause of an explosion outside a village in the breakaway north.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.