Memorial services were held yesterday to commemorate the untimely death of thirteen people, killed on July 11, 2011, during a massive explosion at the naval base “Evangelos Florakis”, at Mari, on the southern coast.
The huge blast happened in scores of containers, full of munitions, which Cyprus had confiscated from “Monchegorsk“, a vessel sailing from Iran to Syria in 2009. As a result of the explosion and the shock wave caused by it, the nearby Vassiliko power station suffered huge damage, which led to power cuts for some time after the blast.
More than 60 people were injured during the explosion, which happened at 06.00 in the morning.
In the years that followed, six persons, including two Ministers, were brought to justice. Four, including the then Minister of Defence, were given jail sentences in connection with the explosion on charges of causing death due to unreasonable or dangerous acts. The Minister of Defence was also found guilty of manslaughter due to neglect. The then Minister of Foreign Affairs was acquitted.
Minister of Justice and Public Order Ionas Nicolaou, in statements after a church service in Larnaca, referred to “the need for change if we want to honour the memory of those killed in the blast.”
He appealed to everybody, irrespective of political affiliations, to remember the 13 people who were killed and draw from them lessons to improve society and avert similar tragedies.
Commissioner for humanitarian affairs Fotis Fotiou, speaking at a memorial service, acknowledged that the destruction caused on 11 July 2011 was no coincidence, but the result of a series of omissions and the absence of professional responsibility.
He said the state and society at large must rid themselves of such bad habits and work to lay down sound foundations for a modern state that will serve the interests of its people.
“We shall not allow your sacrifice to be forgotten. We have a duty to keep your memory alive as a reminder of what duty and obligation to our country means,” he added.