Tourists in Cyprus run from explosions at nearby Turkish military base

An explosion at a munitions depot in northern Cyprus injured around a dozen.

ByMatt McGarry
September 12, 2019, 9:18 AM

BEIRUT -- Terrified tourists were evacuated from a northern Cyprus hotel early Thursday morning following explosions at a nearby Turkish military base.

Blasts at an ammunition depot showered the surrounding area with debris and unexploded ordnance after a fire broke out on the base in Catalkoy, west of the town of Kyrenia.

Workers at Acapulco hotel in Kyrenia, Cyprus assess the damage after a military depot exploded nearby, on Sept. 12, 2019.
Birol Bebek/AFP/Getty Images

Posting to his Facebook page, Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said only a few minor injuries were reported.

Damaged rooms of a hotel after an explosion at an army's munitions depot near coastal city of Kyrenia in the Turkish occupied area at northern Cyprus, Sept. 12, 2019.
Petros Karadjias/AP
PHOTO: A fire is seen over a Turkish army depot, Kyrenia, Cyprus, Sept. 12, 2019.
A fire is seen over a Turkish army depot, Kyrenia, Cyprus, Sept. 12, 2019.
STR/EPA via Shutterstock

The nearby Acapulco Hotel was damaged in the explosions, which began on Wednesday night and continued into the morning.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the blasts. Turkish defense officials said they had launched an investigation.

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