A massive chain reaction explosion at a military base has killed 20 soldiers leaving many in mourning.
The ammunition explosion occurred at a base in southwestern Cambodia on Saturday afternoon killed 20 soldiers and wounded several others, Prime Minister Hun Manet said.
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 smouldering, at least one with its roof blown off, and soldiers receiving treatment in a hospital. Other photos showed houses with holes in their roofs.
A villager living nearby said that he trembled after hearing the blast because he had never before experienced such a loud explosion.
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A doctor treats a child injured in the explosion at the army base (AFP via Getty Images)
Twisted remains of a military truck (AFP via Getty Images)“When the explosion happened, I was fixing my house with some construction workers,” said Chim Sothea. “Suddenly there was a loud explosion, causing my house to shake and breaking tiles on my roof. They fell down but luckily they didn’t fall inside the house.”
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.
The smouldering wreckage following the explosion (AFP via Getty Images)Kiripost, an online English language news service, quoted a nearby resident as saying a major explosion occurred at about 2:30 p.m., followed by smaller blasts for another hour.
Pheng Kimneang was quoted as saying the windows of a factory nearby were shattered, and homes as far as a kilometre (a half-mile) away suffered minor damage. Photos of the base show it in a large field, apparently with no civilian structures close by.
Hun Manet offered condolences to the soldiers’ families and promised the government would pay for their funerals and provide compensation both to those killed and those wounded.
Security was tight around the base as guards sought to keep media away from the site. Another villager, who asked to be named only as Sophal, told Associated Press he had heard a sharp sound, and when he saw smoke rising from the direction of the army base, he realised it was an explosion at the arms depot. He then ran back to his house from the small shop where he sells food and drink to shelter inside with his wife and two children.
He said the military immediately closed the road to the base and “villagers were in a panic, seeking a safe place.” He then moved his family to his parent’s home, farther away from the base. When he returned to his own house hours later, he found it undamaged but other villagers’ houses had broken windows, doors and roofs, he said.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he was army commander before he was elected last year to serve as prime minister, succeeding his father Hun Sen, who led Cambodia for 38 years before stepping down.
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