A Myanmar blast killed more than 45 people on Sunday at a building storing mining explosives near the Chinese border, rescue workers and local media said.
The explosion happened around noon in Kaungtup village in Namhkam township, northeastern Shan State. About 70 people suffered injuries, according to initial reports.
A rescue worker told The Associated Press that crews recovered 46 bodies by Sunday evening. The dead included six children.
The rescuer said 74 injured people went to the township hospital. Rescue operations were still continuing.
Another rescuer said the explosion killed about 40 people and damaged more than 100 nearby houses. Local media reported death tolls between 50 and 55.
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Myanmar, a Southeast Asian country with Naypyidaw as its capital, has faced widening conflict since the military coup in 2021.
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army controls the Namhkam area. The ethnic armed group said its economic department had stored gelignite there for mining and stone quarrying.
The group said it had opened an investigation into the cause of the blast. Gelignite is used in mining and rock blasting, but poor storage can make it unstable.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the blast caused multiple deaths and damaged many homes. It said local authorities were providing relief, medical care and resettlement support.
