Bangkok: A powerful blast at a building reportedly storing explosives for mining has killed more than 45 people in northeastern Myanmar, according to rescue workers and independent media reports.

The explosion occurred on Sunday around noon in Kaungtup village in Namhkam township, Shan State, close to the Chinese border. The area, located around 3 kilometres south of the border, is under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, an ethnic armed group engaged in conflict with Myanmar’s central government.

Rescue workers said 46 bodies, including six children, had been recovered by Sunday evening and taken for cremation. Around 74 injured people were transported to the township hospital, with rescue operations still ongoing.

Another rescuer, speaking anonymously, said about 40 people were killed and more than 100 houses near the blast site were damaged.

The exact cause of the explosion remains unclear, and authorities are continuing to assess the scale of the destruction and casualties.