20 Cambodian soldiers killed in ammunition base explosion

Twenty Cambodian soldiers have been killed in an ammunition explosion at an army base, Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday.

The blast at around 2.45pm (0745 GMT) at the army base in Kampong Speu province to the west of the capital also wounded several soldiers, according to the PM, with the army saying that an entire truck of munitions had exploded.

"I am deeply shocked to receive the news of the ammunition explosion incident," Hun Manet said in a statement on Facebook, expressing his "deepest condolences" to the families of those killed.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the explosion.

Cambodia's army said the incident was a "warehouse ammunition explosion" that had destroyed a truck fully loaded with weaponry.

An office building as well as nearby barracks were destroyed, with 25 nearby homes also battered by the resulting explosion.

In his statement, Hun Manet  also said that the families of those killed would receive roughly $20,000 each, while injured soldiers would get $5,000.