Residents of Çatalköy village told of their terror when they heard a series of explosions in the early hours of Thursday morning. A fire which broke out in a local military munitions facility triggered the explosions.
Some people said that they thought the explosions had come from a bombing raid. Petrified locals took to their cars and fled to Kyrenia, only returning later on when police permitted.
Meanwhile, firefighters and forestry workers had to wait until it was deemed safe to quell fires at the munitions dump. Unexploded ordnance was removed by munitions experts.
Locals returned to their homes at dawn and were shocked to see the aftermath of the explosions had broken windows, damaged walls and the charred remains of birds.
Minister of the Interior Ayşegül Baybars and head of the CTP Tufan Erhurman said that munitions sites must be removed from areas which are populated by residents and tourists.
Yeni Duzen
