In Cambodia, the explosion of an ammunition stockpile on a military base kills twenty soldiers

The explosion of an ammunition stockpile on a military base in western Cambodia left twenty dead, Prime Minister Hun Manet announced on Saturday April 27. The victims were soldiers, he said, and several other soldiers were also injured.

The explosion occurred Saturday afternoon at the military base in Kampong Speu province, Hun Manet said in a press release published on Facebook, without providing further details. The cause of the explosion is not known at this stage.

“I am deeply shocked to learn of this incident due to the explosion of munitions”wrote the Prime Minister, expressing his “deepest condolences” to the families of the victims. Hun Manet specifies, in his message, that the funeral would be entirely covered by the State, and that the families of the victims would receive 20,000 dollars in compensation.

Images on social media show a destroyed one-story building in a cloud of smoke. Residents of a neighboring village shared images of their broken windows.