Gunpowder blast kills 10 at naval base in Cyprus

A bushfire set off a huge explosion that killed at least 10 people at a Cypriot National Guard naval base this morning.

The Cypriot Ministry of Defence said the fire set light to containers of gunpowder held at the Evangelos Florakis naval base after being confiscated in 2009 from a ship suspected of carrying it from Iran to Gaza.

It is believed the dead include two Cyprus navy sailors, two soldiers and five firefighters.

Pictures broadcast on state television showed damaged cars along a stretch of highway near the base on the south coast. One person who was in a car passing the base at the time of the explosion said it felt like "a bomb had been dropped".

Police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos said a fire at a nearby Vasiliko power station has been contained.

Cyprus Electricity Authority official Yiannis Tsouloftas said the power station - the island's primary electricity generator - sustained extensive damage as a result of the explosion's concussion wave and will remain offline for the rest of the day at least.

He appealed to the public to reduce consumption as much as possible to give the island's two smaller power stations a chance to cover demand.

The explosion also caused numerous injuries and extensive damage to homes in villages near the naval base.