Twenty Cambodian soldiers killed in ammunition base explosion: PM

Twenty soldiers have been killed in an ammunition explosion at a base in the west of Cambodia, according to Prime Minister Hun Manet.

The blast, which also wounded several soldiers, occurred on Saturday afternoon at an army base in Kampong Speu province, Hun Manet said in a statement on Facebook, without giving more details on the incident.

Hun Manet said he was “deeply shocked” when he received the news of the explosion at the base in Kampong Speu province.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion and Hun Manet did not comment on the issue in his post.

He offered condolences to the soldiers’ families and promised the government would pay for their funerals and provide compensation both to those killed and those injured.

Pictures on social media showed a destroyed one-storey building wreathed in smoke, as well as injured people being treated at a hospital, with residents of a nearby village also sharing images online of broken windows.

Hun Manet, a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, was promoted to be a four-star general shortly before he was elected to serve as prime minister, succeeding his father Hun Sen.