20 Cambodian soldiers killed in an ammunition explosion at a military base
An ammunition explosion at a base in southwestern Cambodia on Saturday afternoon killed 20 soldiers and wounded several others, Prime Minister Hun Manet said, AP reports.
Hun Manet said in a Facebook post that he was “deeply shocked” when he received the news of the blast at the base in Kampong Speu province. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused it.
Images from the scene showed several badly damaged buildings still smoldering, at least one with its roof blown off, and soldiers receiving treatment in a hospital. Other photos showed houses with holes in their roofs.
Four buildings — three for storage and one work facility — were destroyed and several military vehicles damaged, Col. Youeng Sokhon, an army officer at the site, said in a brief report to army chief Gen. Mao Sophan, posted on social media. He added that 25 villagers’ homes were damaged as well.
Cambodia, like many countries in the region, has been suffering from an extended heat wave, and the province where the blast took place registered a high of 39 C (102 F) on Saturday. While high temperatures normally can’t detonate ammunition, they can degrade the stability of explosives over a period of time, with the risk that a single small explosion can set off a fire and a chain reaction.
