Second Cyprus minister offers resignation over deadly navy blast
A deadly explosion on the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus last week looks to have claimed a second political scalp with the country’s foreign minister, Markos Kyprianou, announcing his resignation on Monday.
The blast at a navy base munitions installation on July 11 claimed 13 lives and knocked out the divided island’s biggest power plant.
After giving evidence to parliament, Kyprianou told reporters he would ask President Demetris Christofias to accept his resignation “not because there is a sense of guilt, but for reasons of political sensitivity.”
It’s thought that at least five ministers in Republic of Cyprus government had prior knowledge that the 98 shipping containers full of munitions could explode.