CAMBODIA.- Prime Minister Hun Mantet reported that an ammunition explosion at a military base in southwestern Cambodia left 20 soldiers dead and several injured.
In a publication, the president shared that he is “deeply shocked” after receiving the news of the explosion at the military installations located in the province of Kampong Speu.
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Images from the scene showed several buildings severely damaged and smoke coming out. At least one of them had lost their roof.
Other photographs showed the building with serious damage and some showed wounded soldiers receiving medical attention in a hospital.
Colonel Youeng Sokhon, army officerstated in a brief report to army chief General Mao Sophan, that four buildings (three for storage and one for work) were destroyed.
The same report mentions that several military vehicles were damaged and added that the homes of 25 residents were also damaged.
The explosion occurred at 2:30 p.m., followed by smaller ones over the next hour, said a person who lives near the base, according to a report by Kiripost, an English-language online news service.
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Local media report that the windows of a nearby factory were shattered and that some located less than a kilometer away suffered minor damage.
Hun Mantet He offered his condolences to the families of the soldiers and stated that the Government will be the one to cover the funeral expenses, and will also provide financial compensation to the families of the deceased and the injured.
