Myanmar: At least 55 killed after blast at building storing explosives

In Myanmar, at least 55 people were killed in a blast at a building in the northeastern part of the country that was reportedly storing explosives used for mining. According to local media reports, around 70 others were injured in the explosion, which occurred around noon in the village of Kaungtup in Namhkam township. Some 74 injured people had been taken to the township hospital and rescue operations were continuing, the worker added.

At least 55 dead and 60+ injured after a massive explosion at an explosives warehouse in Namhkam, Myanmar.

The blast hit a region ravaged by civil war between the military junta and ethnic armed groups. pic.twitter.com/NtOa7GqncI

— CMNS_Media (@1SanatanSatya) May 31, 2026

The area, located about 3 km south of the Chinese border, is controlled by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army(TNLA), an ethnic armed group engaged in conflict with Myanmar’s central government. A rescue worker who reached the site said that 46 bodies, including those of six children, were recovered by evening and taken for cremation. Rescue operation underway. The TNLA said 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 was under way.