55 killed, Myanmar village destroyed in accidental gunpowder blast
by Don Jacobson · UPIMay 31 (UPI) -- Fifty-five people were killed, including six children, in an accidental detonation of mining explosives in a rebel-held area of Myanmar, the armed group said Sunday.
The Palaung Self Liberation Front/Ta'ang National Liberation Army, also known as the PSLF/TNLA, said in a statement that many others were also hurt in the blast, which happened Sunday afternoon local time in northern Shan State.
Rescuers told the Shwe Phee Myay News Agency the entire village of Kaung Tat in Namkham Township had been virtually destroyed and that "dozens" had been injured in the disaster.
Local officials have sent out an urgent call for blood donations as emergency workers tried to free victims trapped in rubble.
The PSLF/TNLA confirmed that many homes in the village were damaged when soft gunpowder stored for mining operations accidentally exploded at around 12:30 p.m.
The fatalities included 25 females and 30 males, they said, adding that the cause of the explosion will be investigated in detail.
Authorities, they said, "will take action in accordance with the law."
The Ta'ang National Liberation Army is one of the main ethnic rebel groups in Myanmar fighting for independence from the central government, which along with its ally the Palaung Self Liberation Front comprise a front of resistance to the country's military government.