An accidental blast involving explosives stockpiled by Myanmar’s rebel forces has claimed no fewer than 55 lives, with rescue teams still searching through the wreckage for survivors, according to eyewitness accounts released Monday.
The devastating incident occurred at approximately midday Sunday (0530 GMT) in Kaung Tat village, according to a statement from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), which acknowledged multiple fatalities but did not specify an exact number.
Local residents and news outlets have confirmed the death toll at a minimum of 55 people, while search and rescue efforts continue at the explosion site. The TNLA has not responded to requests for additional information on Monday.
“Everything was completely destroyed beyond recognition,” resident Moe Z told Reuters. He was traveling on a roadway approximately 1-1/2 miles (2.4 km) from the scene when the blast occurred, describing how a mushroom cloud of smoke rose into the air.
The TNLA, which maintains control over the border village near China and operates under a ceasefire agreement with Myanmar’s military forces, stated that the detonated materials had been stockpiled “for use in mining operations.”
The nation’s mineral wealth, including rare earth elements, has emerged as a crucial funding source for both the military government and opposition forces engaged in the country’s ongoing civil conflict.
The current warfare started in 2021 following a military takeover that removed the democratically chosen civilian administration headed by Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
Moe Z explained that initially his group suspected the explosion might have been an aerial attack, but the lack of subsequent blasts led them to consider whether a large unexploded ordnance had gone off.
“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, referencing a strategy commonly employed in Myanmar’s civil war.
Moe Z reported that his team reached the location roughly one hour following the blast, finding human casualties scattered throughout the area while people concentrated on locating any survivors. He described finding body parts and victims spread across the zone, with an enormous crater marking where the explosives had been kept.
“It’s as if the entire village has just vanished,” he said.
A regional reporter informed Reuters that the blast was so powerful that some casualties were trapped beneath massive amounts of rubble and wreckage, requiring heavy machinery for the search operation.
“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.
In Sunday’s official statement, the TNLA pledged to conduct a full investigation into the incident and ensure accountability for those at fault. The organization also committed to providing emergency assistance, medical care, and reconstruction support for affected residents.
“The explosion caused the loss of life and injury to many people in Kaung Tat village, and the destruction of many homes,” the TNLA said.
