Explosion rocks Thai army arsenal; at least 17 dead

Associated Press WriterPAK CHONG, Thailand (AP) -- Large explosions rocked a Thai army arsenal stocked with rockets and ammunition Thursday, killing 17 soldiers, injuring dozens and forcing the evacuation of a nearby town.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the explosions, which destroyed at least eight of the 44 warehouses in the compound in northeastern Thailand, appeared to be an accident.

The explosions were continuing eight hours after the first 9 a.m. blast at the 395-acre arsenal in Pak Chong District, about 95 miles from the capital, Bangkok.

Interior Minister Purachai Piemsomboon, who visited the scene, said 17 bodies were seen inside the destroyed camp, but only one had been recovered, from a guardhouse near the gate. It was unclear how many people might be missing.

Ten soldiers and 51 civilians were being treated at Pak Chong Nana hospital, a spokesman said by telephone. Most suffered cuts from flying glass.

More than 10,000 residents of Pak Chong, a town about five miles from the camp, were evacuated to temporary shelters 12 miles from the site.

"We have to evacuate people for the sake of their safety, both from chemical smoke and the possibility of more explosions," Purachai said.

Purachai pleaded with people o wait for authorities to clear the area, which was littered with munitions that had been hurled by the blasts into the town.

But hundreds of onlookers went to the area, and could be seen taking away unexploded ordnance, including rockets.

"People who have taken ammunition, bombs or whatever you found on the street and nearby, please return them to the authorities urgently since your life is in danger," police announced over loudspeakers.

Military spokesman Col. Palangoon Klaharn told The Associated Press he believed some bodies were trapped inside destroyed buildings, but he did not know how many because nobody could get close enough because of the dangerous conditions.

Witnesses saw flames shooting about 100 yards above the depot and said the blasts could be felt several miles away.

Purachai told reporters the blasts started after an explosion on a military truck while it was being loaded. That caused a chain reaction, he said, as the truck was at arsenal No. 5 where hundreds of tons of ammunition were stored.