6 days ago

Patrick Jacksonand

BBC Burmese

At least 46 people have been killed and dozens more wounded after an explosion in a village in a region of Myanmar under insurgent control, rescue teams have told the BBC.

A rescue worker in Kaung Tat, a village in Namkham Township in Shan State, near the Chinese border, said six children including a one-year-old toddler were among the dead.

The blast is said to have damaged around 200 homes in Kaung Tat and another 100 in the nearby Pan Lone village.

The Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), which controls the area and has been fighting the military junta, said explosives kept in a warehouse for use in local mining operations had ignited, causing the blast.

A source familiar with the situation on the ground previously told the BBC at least 55 people had died.

The bodies of all 46 victims, including three Chinese nationals, were cremated on Sunday evening, with rescue operations expected to resume on Monday.

Around 74 injured people were transferred to the nearby Namkham General Hospital for treatment, rescue teams added.

The "accidental explosion" occurred at around 12:00 local time (05:30 GMT) on Sunday, the TNLA said.

"Because of this explosion, many local villagers lost their lives and suffered injuries and damage to their homes," the group said, without providing details.

Footage from the scene shows a vast crater of earth and rubble surrounded by shattered buildings, with smoke still drifting from charred debris and twisted trees.

Taking to social media, one resident said some villagers initially believed the blast was caused by an air strike.

"By sheer luck, my phone saved my life," the resident wrote.

"I was sitting in my bedroom eating noodles and looking at my phone. If I had been eating in the kitchen, I probably would not be alive today."

The resident, who said she had suffered a minor leg injury and her own home had been destroyed, described scenes of panic and grief in the aftermath of the blast.

"People were crying, calling out for their parents," she wrote.

"It felt as if the world had come to an end."

She questioned why a facility containing explosives had been allowed to operate close to residential areas, saying families of those killed would not be satisfied unless the authorities provided a full explanation.

According to the TNLA, the facility contained gelignite stored by the group's economic department for mining purposes.

An investigation is under way to determine how the material was detonated, the group said.

The TNLA is one of the most powerful ethnic armed groups opposed to the junta in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

Many of the country's rebel groups rely on mining precious minerals to fund their campaigns, with lax safety measures making mine collapses and other accidents common, according to AFP.