Twelve Vietnamese soldiers were killed in an accidental explosion during a military training exercise in southern Vietnam, state media reported on Thursday.
Authorities suspect that a lightning strike during a severe storm triggered an electric detonator while the soldiers were transporting explosives, according to a report from a local military newspaper.
The explosion occurred on Monday night at a military shooting range of the 7th Military Region in Dong Nai, an industrial hub in southern Vietnam.
Authorities were still searching for several bodies of the victims, according to the report in the 7th Military Newspaper.
Fatal accidents during military training are rare in the communist country.
The accident came a day after Defence Minister Phan Van Giang delivered a speech to mark the start of the combat exercise, according to state newspaper Nhan Dan.
The ministry of defence has ordered an urgent investigation into the incident, the official Vietnam News Agency said. AFP
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
