NAYPYIDAW, June 1 — The unexplained detonation of explosives stored by one of Myanmar's rebel armies has killed dozens, the militia that controls the village and witnesses said today, as the search for survivors continued amid widespread devastation at the site.
The Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) confirmed that the explosion in Kaung Tat village happened around 12pm (0530 GMT) yesterday.
Earlier today, a TNLA spokesman said a hospital tally put the death toll at 39, with 75 injured, in the first official toll the group has issued. That was lower than a reported death toll of at least 55 from local media and witness accounts.
"Everything was completely destroyed beyond recognition," resident Moe Z told Reuters. He was travelling with a group of friends on a road about 2.4 km away when the explosion occurred, and a mushroom cloud of smoke billowed into the sky.
The TNLA, which controls the village near the Chinese border and is in a ceasefire with the Myanmar military, said yesterday that it had been storing the explosives that detonated "for use in mining operations".
"We deeply apologise for this accident, which has resulted in a tragic loss of lives and immense devastation," TNLA spokesperson Lway Yay Oo said today, adding that more than 200 homes had been damaged.
Myanmar's mineral resources, including rare earths, have become important sources of revenue for both the military-backed government and the rebel armies in the country's civil war.
The ongoing conflict began in 2021, when the military staged a coup that ousted the democratically elected civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Moe Z added that at first, his group thought the explosion might have been an airstrike, but the absence of follow-up blasts made them wonder if a large unexploded bomb had detonated.
"Based on the explosive force and the sound we witnessed, this was no small explosion; it was not the scale of a drone-drop bomb," he said, referring to a tactic that has been used during the civil war.
'Not even the house posts remain'
Moe Z said his group got to the site about an hour after the explosion, and that amid the human carnage at the scene, the focus of people was to find survivors. There were limbs and bodies scattered over the area, with a massive crater where the explosives had been stored.
"It was as if the entire village had just vanished," he said.
A local journalist told Reuters that the blast was so intense that some victims were buried under huge amounts of rubble and debris, with backhoes being used in the search.
"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.
TNLA's Lway noted that the group would work to prevent a repeat of the tragedy and would hold those responsible accountable.
"We will also dedicate our efforts toward ongoing rescue operations and rehabilitation for the affected areas," she said.
