At least 39 people have been killed and more than 75 injured in a massive explosion in a village controlled by rebels in Myanmar, triggering a huge search and rescue operation.

The explosion happened in a warehouse containing explosives, damaging approximately 100 homes in the village of Kaungtup in Shan state near the Chinese border.

The warehouse was owned by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) – one of several ethnic rebel groups which is fighting the military junta – and had been storing explosives for use in mining and stone quarrying operations.

A spokesperson for the TNLA put the death toll at 39 with 75 injured, in the first official figures released by the group on Monday. The toll, citing a hospital tally, was significantly lower than a toll of 55 reported earlier by the local media and witnesses.

The TNLA said it expresses “deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, were injured, and suffered damage as a result of the explosion”.

It said the “accidental ⁠explosion” took place at noon local time (0530 GMT) on Sunday and ​was being investigated.

The TNLA said ‌those found responsible would be ⁠held accountable, and that relief, healthcare and ⁠rehabilitation for the families affected by the blast would be ‌provided as ​soon as possible.

China, whose officials have been working to broker peace between the military and the insurgent groups, on Monday said a Chinese national was injured in the blast.

The incident took place in an area situated about 3km (2 miles) south of the Chinese border.

Videos from the scene showed a huge cloud of smoke along with a fireball rising above the sky. The explosion left behind dozens of shattered buildings, burned trees and a huge pile of rubble.

The blast levelled much of the village, leaving homes reduced to rubble and residents struggling to comprehend the scale of the destruction. Many residents initially assumed the blast must have been the result of an airstrike.

Shan state is one of many parts of the country embroiled in fighting since a 2021 military coup overthrew the democratically-elected government and thrust Myanmar into civil war.

"Everything was completely destroyed beyond recognition," resident Moe Z told Reuters. He said he was travelling with friends about 2.4km away when the explosion occurred and saw a huge mushroom cloud rise into the sky.

Moe Z said his group initially feared the blast was an airstrike, but the absence of follow-up explosions led them to suspect that a large stockpile of explosives had detonated.

"Based on the explosive force and the sound we witnessed, this was no small explosion, it wasn't the scale of a drone-drop bomb," he said, of a tactic that has been used in Myanmar's civil war.

"People were crying, calling out for their parents," a resident who was injured and whose home was destroyed in the blast wrote on social media. "It felt as if the world had come to an end."

She asked why the facility containing a huge amount of explosives was operating so close to residential areas and demanded authorities to provide a detailed explanation.

Another resident said he was saved by “sheer luck” as he was sitting in a part of the house that got spared the worst of the blast.

"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."

A rescuer who spoke on the condition of anonymity told the Associated Press that about 46 bodies, including six children, had been recovered by Sunday evening and taken for cremation.

A local journalist told Reuters the blast was so powerful that some victims were buried beneath large amounts of rubble, forcing rescuers to use backhoes in the search effort.

"Over half of the village's houses have ⁠been destroyed. The houses near the centre of the blast were blown completely to pieces, to the point where not even the house posts remain," ‌the journalist said.

The TNLA is the armed wing of the Palaung Self Liberation Front and is one of three ethnic armed groups that make up the Three Brotherhood Alliance.

The group has been in control of the Namhkam area since the alliance and its allies launched a major offensive against the military in northeastern Myanmar in late 2023. The alliance members and other ethnic armed groups have long fought for increased autonomy.