Akel demands answers over missing explosives during military exercise

Fallout intensified over the disappearance of 13.6 kilograms of TNT from a national guard firing range in Kalo Chorio on Friday, with Akel describing the incident as “extremely serious” and calling on the defence ministry to provide immediate explanations.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Akel said the loss of a large quantity of explosives during a military exercise raises “grave concerns”, warning that the possibility the material was stolen and ended up in criminal hands represents “an extremely dangerous scenario”.

The party said serious questions arise over the security measures in place and the controls applied during the exercise, stressing that “issues of public safety cannot be left unanswered”.

It urged authorities to accelerate investigations both to locate the missing explosives and to fully clarify how they disappeared.

The defence ministry confirmed on Friday that the TNT went missing during an engineer training exercise at the Kalo Chorio firing range in the Larnaca district.

According to officials, the explosives were placed at the site for a scheduled controlled detonation at around 2pm on Thursday, but the blast failed to occur.

Following standard safety procedures, personnel waited for one hour before approaching the area.

When they did, the explosives were no longer present.

The missing material consists of two explosive devices used for missile destruction, containing a total of 13.6 kilograms of TNT.

Defence ministry spokesperson Christos Pieris said the police and security services were informed immediately, the area was sealed off and joint investigations began.

“The trainees detonated, the mechanism did not work, and after following all security protocols, they found the explosives were missing,” he said.

“The area has been secured and investigations began immediately.”

Initial searches using a drone and a ground inspection failed to locate the devices.

Earlier suggestions that the explosives may have detonated without being recorded were dismissed, with the case now being treated as a possible theft.

Police investigations are ongoing, with statements being taken at CID headquarters.

An exercise scheduled for Friday at the firing range was postponed as evidence was collected and security tightened.

National guard chief Emmanuel Theodorou visited the site to oversee developments, while the defence ministry said the quantity involved, although limited, is “serious” and being treated with the utmost priority.