Cypriot Defence Minister Costas Papacostas offered his resignation over a deadly arms cache blast on Monday and it was accepted, the privately owned Sigma and Mega TV channels said.

President Demetris Christofias also accepted the resignation of the commander of the Greek Cypriot National Guard, Petros Tsaliklides, the televisions said.
Papacostas is a member of the communist AKEL party which Christofias led for many years before his election as president in 2008.