CHBAR MON, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia held a funeral Sunday for 20 soldiers killed in a munitions explosion at an army base in the country’s southwest, injuring several others and damaging several homes.
There has been no public explanation for what caused the explosion Saturday at the base in Kompong Speu province, although there have been no suggestions it was intentional.
Defense Minister Tea Seiha, representing Prime Minister Hun Manet, presided over the Buddhist funeral ceremony, which was attended by relatives of victims and other soldiers. The coffins were covered by Cambodian flags.
A neighbor told The Associated Press on Sunday that he shook at the explosion, having never experienced such a roar.
“When the explosion occurred, I was repairing my house with some bricklayers,” said Chim Sothea. “Suddenly there was a loud explosion, shaking the house. Some tiles fell from the roof, but fortunately they did not fall inside the house.”
Images from the area show heavily damaged base buildings, at least one left without a roof, and several soldiers being treated in a hospital. Other images show nearby homes with holes in their roofs.
