Five killed in an explosion in central Vietnam

Workers of the construction unit run by the Defense Ministry were mining limestone when the accident took place.

Five labourers were killed in central Vietnam when explosives used to mine limestone accidentally went off, an official said on Tuesday.

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The five workers, aged 21 to 38, were killed instantly in the accident on Saturday in Loc Bao village in Lam Dong province, deputy village chief K' Srai said, adding that the remains of only one victim were recovered. Two other workers were injured in the explosion and remain hospitalised, he said.

The men worked for a construction company run by the Defense Ministry and were mining limestone to build a road to hydropower plant that is under construction, Srai said. The workers were checking the 100-kilogram (220-pound) batch of explosives when it suddenly exploded, he said.

Police were investigating the cause of the incident, he said. Construction of the Dong Nai hydropower plant began in 2005.