Myanmar: At least 55 killed, over 100 homes damaged after deadly explosion in Namkham

An explosion has killed at least ‌55 people and wounded dozens more in a village in Myanmar, the BBC reported on Sunday.

The report said that 25 women and 30 men ‌had died in Kaung Tat, a village in Namkham Township in Shan State.

More than 60 people injured after a massive explosion at an explosives warehouse in Namhkam, Myanmar.

According to a post on social media, children were among the dead and hundreds of homes had been damaged, affecting almost an entire neighborhood.

Huge blast kills dozens in rebel-held village in Myanmar

The blast hit a region ravaged by civil war between the military junta and ethnic armed groups.

The Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), which controls the area and which has been engaged in bitter fighting with Myanmar's military junta, said explosives used in mining and quarrying had exploded.

A source familiar with the situation on the ground in Kaung Tat, a village in Namkham Township in Shan State near the Chinese border, informed us that rescue teams were searching for and extracting people trapped beneath rubble, the source added.

Residents described scenes of devastation and confusion following the explosion and some described scenes of panic and grief in the aftermath of the blast.

Initially the authorities suggested that the blast could be a result of an airstrike, while others suggested it could be a result of poor negligence.

 They questioned why a facility containing explosives had been allowed to operate close to residential areas, saying families of those killed would not be satisfied unless the authorities provided a full explanation.