Twenty soldiers were killed in a huge explosion at a military base in southwestern Cambodia.
Others were injured and the blast gates tore holes in the roofs of nearby houses.
On Sunday, guards tried to keep journalists away from the site in Kampong Speu province.
Images showed several heavily damaged buildings at the base, at least one with its roof torn off.
It appears to be in a large field, with no civilian structures nearby.
Four buildings – three for storage and one for work – were destroyed and several military vehicles were damaged, said Col. Youeng Sokhon, an army officer at the scene.
The houses of 25 villagers were also damaged, he added.
A map of Kampong Speu
Kiripost, an English-language online news service, quoted villager Pheng Kimneang as saying there was a large explosion around 2:30 p.m., followed by smaller explosions for about an hour.
Another villager, who asked to be identified only as Sophal, said he heard a sharp sound, saw smoke rising and thought it was an explosion at the weapons depot.
The military immediately closed the road to the base, he said, and “the villagers panicked and looked for a safe place.”
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Holes are seen in a damaged roof in Prey Beng village, Kampong Speu province. Photo: AP
There has been a prolonged heat wave in Cambodia. In the province where the explosion occurred, the maximum temperature on Saturday was 39°C (102°F).
While high temperatures do not normally detonate munitions, they can degrade the stability of explosives.
The risk is that a small explosion could trigger a chain reaction that causes a fire.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said he was “deeply shocked” after receiving news of the explosion in the provincial district of Chbar Mon.
He offered his condolences to the soldiers’ families and promised that the government would pay for their funerals and provide compensation to the dead and wounded.