Police have extended their search beyond Larnaca to a mountain community for 13.6kg of TNT that disappeared during a National Guard exercise at Kalo Chorio firing range last Thursday, with investigators examining whether the explosives fell into criminal hands or were taken by metal collectors.
The explosives vanished on 29 January when an Engineering unit conducted three controlled detonations around 14:00.
Trainees placed explosive quantities at three predetermined points in metal boxes, withdrew to a safety distance of several hundred metres and detonated them via a special mechanism. The first and third sites exploded, but the second did not.
After conducting a drone inspection that yielded no results and waiting for the required safety period, trainees approached the explosion site and discovered the explosives at the second location – two 15-pound mechanisms totalling 13.6kg – had gone.
Defence Ministry spokesman Christos Pieris said the most likely scenario under investigation is theft of the explosives.
Investigators are examining whether the explosives are in the hands of criminals or were moved from the firing range by metal and iron collectors, a practice that commonly occurs after National Guard exercises at firing ranges, according to philenews.
One possibility is that the person who took the explosives may not have known what they were as they were in metal packaging.
Before each exercise, all affected settlements are notified and the National Guard regulates traffic where required for citizen safety.
The area where the incident occurred at the firing range remains closed off whilst investigations continue in all directions.
Last August, a strong explosion at a metal recycling plant in Larnaca injured three people when a 52-year-old went to the site with a double-cab truck to deliver metals, including military ammunition he had collected.
That followed another explosion nearly two years earlier at a different metal collection site in the same area. On 13 September 2023, a military shell collected from an area near Vougies firing range in Kosi exploded, injuring a 68-year-old Greek Cypriot and two foreign workers aged 55 and 50.
Defence Minister Vassilis Palmas expressed his displeasure at the incident, calling it unacceptable. “Just as I easily praise personnel when given the opportunity, with the same sincerity I have no hesitation to condemn what is wrong,” he said.
“Today as we speak I’m not in a position to tell you where the explosives are. The National Guard ordered an investigation from the first moment, the same with the Police. I will not bury my head in the sand nor shirk my responsibilities.”
He added: “In no case is it justified that there should not have been surveillance. If it’s established that during the time period from the disappearance of the explosives there was no surveillance, then those who should have been monitoring bear responsibilities.”
“In all likelihood the explosives have been stolen and collected by private individuals. Specific processing is needed to be able to use the explosive material.”