THE Cambodian government says a heat wave was one of the factors causing the ammunition warehouse explosion that killed 20 soldiers on April 27. These findings are based on the results of a defense ministry investigation announced Thursday (2/5).
The explosion destroyed all the trucks containing ammunition, leveled the warehouse, killed 20 soldiers, also injured several soldiers and one civilian. Cambodia’s defense ministry said investigators believe a heat wave played a role in the explosion of the old weapons building.
“The ammunition explosion incident on April 27, 2024 was a technical problem because the weapon was old, damaged and the weather was hot,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry did not say what the specific problem was or whether hot weather contributed to the blast. This reason also eliminates the notion that the explosion was caused by rebel soldiers or an act of terrorism.
Ammunition explosions are frequent in Cambodia, which is littered with mines and unexploded ordnance left over from decades of civil conflict. Incidents like this are exacerbated by lax safety standards.
Like most countries in South and Southeast Asia, Cambodia has struggled with hot weather in recent weeks. Authorities warned temperatures might reach 43 degrees Celsius in some areas.
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The heat index has reached 50 degrees Celsius in various regions in the Philippines and affected more than 3.6 million students as schools were closed due to the heat. Then 30 people died due to soaring temperatures this time of year in Thailand. It also prompted record electricity usage.
Meanwhile in Dong Nail province, Vietnam, hundreds of thousands of fish died in reservoirs. Local residents and media reports blamed a heat wave as the cause.
Schools are closed. The warning was issued as Asia experienced scorching weather due to an extreme heat wave. (AFP/Z-2)
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