BANGKOK, June 1: Rescue teams in northeastern Myanmar continued recovery operations on Monday after a massive explosion involving stored mining explosives killed at least 38 people in Kaungtup village in Shan State, near the Chinese border.
More than a dozen rescue and charity groups used heavy excavation equipment to search for victims buried under debris.
The blast occurred around midday on Sunday in Namhkam township, an area controlled by the ethnic armed group the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).
Early reports suggested the death toll could be as high as 45, but rescue workers later estimated that between 38 and 40 people had died.
Establishing an exact figure has been difficult because several victims’ bodies were severely damaged by the force of the explosion.
According to the TNLA, the blast involved gelignite, an explosive commonly used in mining and quarrying operations.
The group said an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause.
Residents of the village, home to about 200 households, said they had not been informed that explosives were being stored nearby.
Gelignite is widely used in mining but can become highly unstable if improperly stored for long periods.
The tragedy has drawn attention to Myanmar’s largely unregulated mining sector, particularly in resource-rich regions controlled by ethnic armed groups rather than the central government.
Such areas have long experienced accidents, including fatal landslides and industrial disasters.
Local residents told reporters that mines producing raw materials for silicon metal, used in semiconductors, solar panels and aluminium alloys, operate in nearby mountainous areas.
They claimed the mines are jointly run by the TNLA and Chinese businessmen, although the reports could not be independently verified.
Myanmar is a major global supplier of rare earth minerals, copper, tin, jade and rubies, much of which is exported to China for processing.
China, which maintains ties with both Myanmar’s military-backed government and ethnic armed groups, expressed condolences over the incident and confirmed that a Chinese citizen injured in the blast is receiving treatment.
The disaster comes amid ongoing instability following Myanmar’s 2021 military coup, with mineral extraction remaining a crucial source of income for both the military government and armed rebel groups. (AP)
