New Delhi: A massive explosion at a building in northeastern Myanmar on Sunday killed more than 45 people and left over 70 others injured.
The building, in Kaungtup village, in Namhkam township, stored explosives for mining, according to rescue workers and independent media reports.
The blast site, located about 3 kilometres south of the Chinese border, is under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an ethnic armed group which has engaged in sporadic fighting against Myanmar’s central government, reported Associated Press (AP).
A rescue worker told AP that 46 bodies, including six children, had been recovered by Sunday evening and taken for cremation.
The rescuer also said 74 injured people had been transported to the township hospital as rescue operations continued deep into the evening.
Another rescuer in Namhkam said about 40 people were killed and more than 100 houses near the blast site were damaged.
Myanmar media outlets, including Shan State’s online Shwe Phee Myay news agency, reported death tolls ranging from 50 to 55.
Photos and videos posted online showed smoke from the explosion, and damaged buildings and debris in its aftermath.
MASSIVE EXPLOSION rocks Myanmar
Huge mushroom cloud of black smoke and pink fireball erupts
Cause under investigation — CCTV pic.twitter.com/sfFG1hTgLZ
\— RT (@RT\_com) May 31, 2026
According to preliminary investigations, the blast occurred at a site where large quantities of explosives used for mining operations were stored.
The TNLA said in a statement that gelignite had been stored by the group’s economic department for use in mining and stone quarrying sites, and that an investigation into the cause of the explosion is underway.
Gelignite is widely used in mining and rock blasting, but can become highly unstable over time and if poorly stored.
The TNLA, a member of the rebel Three Brotherhood Alliance, has controlled the Namhkam area since the alliance and its allies launched a major offensive against the military in northeastern Myanmar in late 2023. The alliance members as well as other ethnic armed groups have been fighting for increased autonomy.
Though TNLA signed a ceasefire deal with Myanmar’s military following China-mediated talks in October last year, relations are still quite tense.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021, triggering widespread popular opposition.
