2 weeks ago
A immense detonation in southwestern Cambodia complete nan play that killed 20 soldiers astatine an service guidelines appears to person been an mishap caused by mishandling of ammunition by troops, a elder subject charismatic said Tuesday.
The Saturday day blast successful Kampong Speu state besides destroyed military vehicles and 4 buildings astatine nan base, and damaged homes successful a adjacent village.
Army spokesperson Maj. Gen. Mao Phalla said nan soldiers were transferring ammunition from trucks into a retention installation erstwhile nan blast occurred, sidesplitting them instantly. He said different 11 people, including soldiers and adjacent villagers, were somewhat injured, mostly from debris from nan damaged buildings, not shrapnel.
45 INJURED, SOME CRITICALLY, IN NORTHWEST CAMBODIA AS TRAIN HITS BUS AT CROSSING
Cambodia held a wide ceremonial connected Sunday for those killed successful nan explosion.
Cambodian soldiers' relatives stitchery for nan ceremonial convoy for each who died during an ammunition detonation successful an service guidelines successful Kampong Speu province, Cambodia, connected April 28, 2024. (AKP via AP, File)
The first but still not charismatic mentation was that nan soldiers were unloading ammunition from a motortruck and stacking it connected nan crushed earlier moving it into nan retention facility, causing 1 point to explode, he said. That group disconnected a concatenation reaction, added Mao Phalla.
However, he said it will beryllium difficult to find nan nonstop concatenation of events arsenic each those progressive successful nan unloading were killed.
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Mao Phalla said nan tract has been sealed disconnected and that deminers from nan Cambodian Mines Action Center were clearing nan area immoderate unexploded ordnance.
In March 2005, a nighttime blast astatine an arms depot successful nan northwestern provincial municipality of Battambang triggered an hourslong spray of shells and bullets that killed astatine slightest six group and caused panic.
A 2014 study by nan Swiss-based group Small Arms Survey highlighted nan dangers of poorly stored aliases mishandled munitions, calling it a "global problem." It noted that from 1979 done 2013 location were much than 500 incidents involving unplanned explosions astatine munitions sites.
