Over 45 killed in Myanmar blast at explosives storage site near Chinese border

More than 45 people, including children, were killed and around 70 others injured after a powerful explosion ripped through a building storing mining explosives in northeastern Myanmar on Sunday, rescue workers and local media reports said.

The blast occurred around noon in Kaungtup village in Namhkam township, an area located about three kilometres south of the Chinese border and controlled by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an ethnic armed group operating in Myanmar's Shan State.

A rescue worker involved in the operation said 46 bodies, including six children, had been recovered by Sunday evening and taken for cremation.

The rescuer, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, said 74 injured people had been transported to the township hospital and search and rescue efforts were continuing.

Another rescue worker in Namhkam said about 40 people had been killed and that more than 100 houses near the blast site were damaged by the explosion.

Independent Myanmar media outlets, including Shan State-based Shwe Phee Myay news agency, reported death tolls ranging between 50 and 55. Images and videos published by the outlets showed thick smoke rising from the site and widespread destruction in nearby residential areas.

China's state broadcaster CCTV reported multiple deaths and injuries and said many homes had suffered severe damage, though it did not provide casualty figures.

According to preliminary investigations cited by Chinese media, the explosion occurred at a site where large quantities of explosives used in mining operations had been stored.

Local authorities were providing relief, medical assistance and resettlement support to affected residents, CCTV reported.

The TNLA said in a statement posted on its Telegram channel that gelignite explosives had been stored by its economic department for use in mining and stone quarrying activities.

The group said an investigation into the cause of the explosion was under way.

Gelignite is commonly used in mining and rock blasting operations but can become highly unstable if stored improperly or kept for long periods.

The TNLA is a member of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, a coalition of ethnic armed groups that seized control of large parts of northeastern Myanmar during a major offensive against the military in late 2023.

Although the TNLA signed a China-mediated ceasefire agreement with Myanmar's military in October last year, tensions between the two sides remain high.

Myanmar has been gripped by conflict since the military overthrew the elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February 2021. The coup triggered widespread protests and armed resistance, with large parts of the country now affected by fighting between the military and various resistance groups.