Today marks the Mari explosion anniversary, fourteen years since the devastating blast at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base that claimed the lives of 13 service members and triggered national outrage, energy shortages, and political fallout across Cyprus.
The explosion on 11 July 2011 occurred when dozens of containers filled with confiscated munitions ignited after years of improper storage in the open. The cargo, seized from an Iranian ship en route to Syria in 2009, was left exposed at the base by government order. Among the dead were members of the Navy, Fire Service, Police, and National Guard, all remembered as heroes who died in the line of duty.
This morning, President Nikos Christodoulides led a memorial service at the site of the blast, with the participation of House President Annita Demetriou, Archbishop Georgios, and other dignitaries. Wreaths were also laid at the EMAK Hero Memorial in Kofinou.
In a powerful televised interview, former MP Zacharias Koulias described arriving moments after the blast.
“It felt like a nightmare,” he recalled. “There were overturned fire trucks, burned bodies, total destruction. Police were tying white ribbons to bushes to mark where body parts were found—an entire hillside covered in them.”
Koulias condemned the state’s failure to act on warnings.
“They didn’t even know what was in those containers. We had time to act, but we left explosives out there in the heat. These were unforgivable mistakes. Thirteen lives were lostneedlessly.”
The Mari explosion anniversary continues to stir strong emotions in Cyprus, where many feel justice was only partly served. Former Defence Minister Kostas Papacostas was imprisoned, and other officials resigned, but public anger at the system’s failures remains.
The explosion also destroyed the Vasilikos power station, Cyprus’s main electricity plant, causing widespread power outages and economic disruption. In the days that followed, mass protests erupted across the island, demanding transparency and accountability.
“The 13 victims of Mari are symbols of duty and sacrifice,” said one official at the memorial. “But they should never have had to die to expose what was broken.”
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