A military vehicle patrols on the road in Yangon, Myanmar, in February 2022. An accidental explosion in a rebel-held part of the country on Sunday killed 55 people and injured many more, rebel leaders said. File photo by Stringer/EPA-EFE
May 31 (UPI) -- Fifty-five people were killed, including six children, in an accidental detonation of mining explosives in a rebel-held area of Myanmar, the armed group said Sunday.
The Palaung Self Liberation Front/Ta'ang National Liberation Army, also known as the PSLF/TNLA, said in a statement that many others were also hurt in the blast, which happened Sunday afternoon local time in northern Shan State.
Rescuers told the Shwe Phee Myay News Agency the entire village of Kaung Tat in Namkham Township had been virtually destroyed and that "dozens" had been injured in the disaster.
Local officials have sent out an urgent call for blood donations as emergency workers tried to free victims trapped in rubble.
