Thursday, December 29, 2011

Fire Engines - Gunpowder Warehouse Blast Kills 17 In Myanmar - Police Reuters

By Aung Hla Tun

YANGON Thu Dec 29, 2011 6:56am EST

YANGON (Reuters) - At the very least seventeen men and women past away plus 80 had been injured right after a beginning a . m . explosion with a warehouse keeping gunpowder, probably pertaining to apply at excavation great time sites, throughout Myanmar's biggest area of Yangon, police plus fire officers stated on Thursday.

The huge increase caused an extensive blaze as well as spewed smoke which was merely produced at hand through late morning, administrators said. A criminal arrest officer, who declined to become named, claimed 12 men in addition to five women ended up confirmed dead along with additionally deaths have been expected.

"A fire first broke away for a warehouse in which gunpowder was stored," a Yangon fire team official, whom asked to not ever become named said. "It and then brought on the surge and then the fireplace spread. I you should not imagine it really is almost anything to carry out by using sabotage."

The blast occurred at about 2 a.m. (1930 GMT on Wednesday) around Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township in the east involving Yangon, Myanmar's original budget and its main financial centre.

Ko Tin Than, 33, a new taxi airport taxi driver exactly who happened to be travelling close to the particular warehouse at the time belonging to the blast, claimed the main place had been included having ash afterwards.

"It seemed to be just like a volcanic eruption just like the truth is inside the movies," your dog said. "Two or perhaps a few people greater than 100 paws aside out of this stockroom were murdered by means of soaring debris."

Some witnesses claimed the particular shoot have activated several smaller sized blasts. Police mentioned three firemen had been one of the dead.

"As far as I know, these types of warehouses fit in for the authorities and some advisors have been chosen towards Myanma Economic Holding Limited within this Ministry regarding Defense," mentioned a retired civil servant, heading downward for you to end up being named.

"I feel the actual gunpowder kept there was clearly meant for mining purposes, possibly not with regard to manufacturing weapons."

Fire search engines through almost all regions of Yangon ended up on the scene, witnesses said.

Television snap shots proved recovery coaches and teams carrying casualties on stretchers from the night around what was first horribly damaged buildings.

Witnesses stated houses in addition to plant life were destroyed but an early on statement that spice had propagate with a nearby shipyard wasn't confirmed.

The surprise from the huge increase had been experienced by some people in northern and also main Yangon.

Than Soe, a resident within Yuzana Mingalar Housing Areas about some sort of kilometer away from the actual site, said buildings shook, microsoft windows were broken in addition to snap shots dropped through walls.

"It had been a real loud sounds that in the beginning all of us believed ?t had been something like a strong asteroid plummeting to earth," he or she said.

(Writing simply by Alan Raybould ; Editing by Martin Petty)

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