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SEOUL, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- A powerful explosion at a South Korea military base sent building debris flying into the air, injuring 23 South Korean soldiers. The blast at a training site for army reservists in the southeastern city of Ulsan occurred at exactly 11:47 a.m., Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday.
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According to the report, a group of soldiers who were on their way to a military base cafeteria were wounded as they walked by the building, a mock-up structure built for training purposes.
The group of 28 soldiers had earlier finished sweeping leaves on the base under the supervision of three senior commanders, about 300 meters from the site of the explosion.
More than an hour later 7 of the 28 soldiers headed for the cafeteria. As they made their way a loud explosion was heard, followed by flames and the scattering of shards of building fragments, according to the report.
The explosion in the replica building, which had no roof, badly damaged several parts of one wall.
Pieces of the metal building flew about 4 to 5 meters, causing injuries to passerby.
Soldiers' ankles were injured and some were badly burned, the report stated.
One soldier was seriously hurt, suffering a fracture to his leg and burns to his face, and another five were lightly burned.
Most of the victims were transferred to Ulsan University Hospital then to military hospitals in Seoul and Busan.
An additional 17 soldiers experienced slight injuries, including rupture of the eardrums, and were receiving treatment at the military hospital in Busan.
The South Korean military suspects the large-scale explosion could have taken place because of the massive accumulation of explosives on the site.
The military said they are looking for a suspect who stockpiled the explosives.
