Kalo Chorio firing range alert ends after mortar shell is defused

Kalo Chorio, Cyprus. An alert at the Kalo Chorio firing range has ended after bomb disposal experts defused an unexploded shell discovered following a forest fire in Agia Anna. A second suspected shell was found to be a piece of metal containing no explosive material, National Guard sources said.

Shell secured and defused

Defence Ministry spokesman Sofianos Filippidis told philenews that the device was an 81mm illuminating mortar shell found at the Kalo Chorio firing range.

A bomb disposal team defused the shell in the presence of the National Guard’s deputy chief after cordoning off and securing the area. Police and National Guard personnel sealed off and guarded the scene, while Forestry Department crews remained on site.

Fire brought under control

The fire was first spotted by a Forestry Department lookout in a forest area at about 3pm on Wednesday.

Firefighting aircraft and vehicles from the Forestry Department and Fire Service helped contain the blaze to a riverbed area. The response involved five aircraft, 33 Forestry Department personnel with six vehicles, two water tankers and a bulldozer, and nine Fire Service personnel with three vehicles.

The operation was reinforced by a water tanker and bulldozer from the Larnaca District Administration, as well as local residents using a tractor and excavator. The fire was brought under control by 5:30pm after burning six hectares of reeds, stubble and wild vegetation.

Safety concerns

The discovery of the shell has renewed concerns over the firing range’s presence in the area. Communities called for its closure after a major fire last July caused by an ammunition explosion.