Authorities in Thailand say a large explosion at an ammunition storage base injured at least 60 people and caused an unknown number of deaths. People within a 15-kilometer radius of the blast have been evacuated. The explosion occurred midmorning Thursday, when a truck loaded with explosives blew up, touching off a series of blasts. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told reporters the explosion was accidental.
Witnesses said flames shot up more than 100 meters above the site and explosions still could be heard two hours after the first blast. Residents in the area have been evacuated.
Thai officials say the military compound contained more than 40 weapons warehouses and thousands of tons of ammunition, gunpowder and land mines.
The 160-hectare compound is in Nakhon Ratchasima province, about 150 kilometers northeast of the Thai capital.