17 soldiers die in Chinese armory explosion

HENGYANG , China, June 18 (UPI) -- An explosion in a suburban Hengyang, China, armory killed 17 Chinese soldiers, state media reported Wednesday.

No civilians were injured, a police official said.

The blast Tuesday occurred in a military warehouse near the second-largest city in southwestern China's Hunan province. Although it was termed an accident, state media also said its cause was under investigation, suggesting the explosion could be connected to ongoing tension with the local population. Military forces have, in the past, been attacked by militants from Xinjiang province in northwestern China.

The Chinese military typically does not report incidents of the type that occurred in Hengyang, nor does state media broadcast it.