Defence min, army chief quit after Cyprus blast

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus's defense minister and army chief resigned after munitions dump blast that killed 12 people on Monday, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said.

The explosion happened at a military base where confiscated Iranian munitions were being held. It shut down the island's largest power station, causing widespread power cuts.

"The explosion occurred in material held since 2009 by the Republic from an Iranian vessel which was sailing to Syria...there are 12 dead and 62 injured," Stefanou said.

He said that defense minister Costas Papacostas and army chief Petros Tsalikidis had submitted their resignations, which were accepted by President Demetris Christofias.

There was no immediate word on the identity of those killed in the blast. Stefanou said the victims were all Cypriots.

The Iranian armaments were in the cargo of the Monchegorksk, a ship Cyprus intercepted in 2009 sailing from Iran to Syria in violation of U.N. sanctions on Iran.

Military sources said they believed all 98 containers of the Iranian arms, kept exposed in scorching temperatures, exploded.

Stefanou declined to give details on the storage conditions of the material, but said there had been a meeting on the issue last week.

(Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Louise Ireland)