The calendar read Monday, July 11, 2011, and a dark morning was dawning for Cyprus. The 98 shipping containers stored at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base in Mari exploded, killing 13 people.

• George Giakoumis—Firefighter
• Andreas Ioannidis—Captain, Naval Commander
• Lambros Lambrou—Commander, Naval Base Commander
• Kleanthis Kleanthous—Chief Petty Officer
• Michalis Heracleous—Senior Petty Officer
• Christos Christoforou—Sailor
• Miltos Christoforou—Seaman
• Antonis Charalambous—Seaman
• Andreas Papadopoulos—EMAK Senior Sergeant
• Adamos Adamou—Firefighter
• Spyros Ttantis—Firefighter
• Panagiotis Theofilou—Firefighter
• Vasilis Krokos—Firefighter

The containers had been seized on January 19, 2009, in the Red Sea by a navy vessel, with the Republic of Cyprus assuming custody of them. As of January 29, 2009, they were located at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base. Two and a half years later, on July 4, following extensive discussions regarding their management, it was observed that one of the shipping containers had become deformed. An order was then given to flood them. On July 8, the final meeting was held, during which it was decided to flood the containers and remove the deformed one.

Chronology of July 11, 2011

3:40: EAC employees notice flashes in the sky and hear explosions. A few minutes later, the camp’s prison officer sees the flash, follows it, and discovers that 98 shipping containers are on fire. He then sounded the alarm.

4:25: Two fire trucks from the Kofinou Special Disaster Response Unit (EMAK) arrive at the base

4:42: The Officer on Duty, along with other military personnel and soldiers, heads toward the scene of the fire

4:50: The Commander of the Navy, Andreas Ioannidis, arrives at the Naval Base

5:17: The Base Commander, Lambros Lambrou, also arrives. At the same time, Andreas Ioannidis requests that the National Guard send helicopters.

5:20: The fire spreads, and superhuman efforts are made to extinguish it.

5:50: A massive explosion occurs, and then… silence.

The tragic toll: 13 dead and 62 injured.

Documentary Footage

Video footage and photographs from the first moments of the explosion at the “Evangelos Florakis” in Mari and the dramatic efforts by members of the Special Rescue Units to locate any survivors amid the wreckage of the “containers of death,” were posted in 2019 on the personal Facebook account maintained by Michalis, the father of the tragically deceased firefighter Panagiotis Theofilou. 

In the first video, you can hear the voices of the OUKAD members searching for the injured among the wreckage of the destroyed military and fire trucks.

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“We have to find someone alive—this can’t be happening. It’s full of bodies. These people want to kill, kill. They’ve killed all the young people.”

In the second video, the unfortunate Panagiotis can be seen getting out of the EMAK fire truck, which had brought him to the scene of the fire that broke out in the shipping containers, and putting on the necessary face mask. The flames have already engulfed the containers filled with gunpowder, and the howling of the fiery inferno is spine-chilling…

Twenty-five minutes later, Panagiotis Theofilou and twelve other young men joined the pantheon of those who fell heroically while performing their duty to their country

 The newspaper headlines

One day later, on July 12, the newspaper front pages used the words “crime” and “tragedy,” focusing on the human lives lost so unjustly, as well as on the responsibilities involved. 

Here are some examples of the front pages of newspapers published the day after the explosion in Mari:

Today’s Newspaper

CRIME Twelve dead and 62 injured. Many questions surround the tragedy. Outrage over who is to blame.

Politis

CRIMINALS Twelve dead and “darkness” in the economy due to criminal inaction

Phileleftheros

Crime and Tragedy: Deadly explosion claims 12 lives, raising serious questions

Charaugi

CYPRUS IS IN MOURNING AGAIN An unspeakable tragedy with the loss of twelve lives and massive material damage from an ammunition explosion at the Zygi base. 

Truth

It’s a crime: 12 DEAD AND 62 INJURED