A man died after jumping from a balcony on the eighth floor, following an explosion in his apartment in Famagusta in the early hours of Monday morning, police in the north said.

The man was named by police as 33-year-old Sheref Uygun.

The explosion took place at about 1:30am at the Terrace Park apartment complex in the northwest of the town. Police said the cause of the explosion is so far unknown.

Debris from the explosion damaged cars parked below the apartment block and smashed windows in neighbouring apartments, while Uygun’s apartment caught fire.

The area surrounding the apartment has been cordoned off as the police’s investigation into the incident continues.