Explosion kills 55 in rebel-held area of Myanmar

An explosion at a mining explosives storage site killed 55 people, including 6 children, in rebel-held territory in northern Myanmar, the armed group controlling the area said.

The explosion happened at about noon on Sunday near Gonde village in Namkham Township, in northern Shan State, according to the Palaung State Liberation Front/Ta’ang National Liberation Army, an ethnic armed group also known as the PSLF/TNLA. The group said many others were injured.

The group said the blast involved emulsion explosives that had been stored by its economic department for use in mining operations. It said many homes in the village were also damaged.

The PSLF/TNLA expressed condolences to the families of those who were killed and said it was investigating the cause of the explosion.

The TNLA is an ethnic armed group that controls parts of northern Shan State and has fought Myanmar’s military as part of the country’s broader civil war.

Fighting across Myanmar has intensified since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, with rebel groups and pro-democracy forces taking control of large areas outside the country’s major cities.