Massive explosion at an SSPDF ammunition depot in Rubkona resulted in civilian injuries. | Photo by Peter Bateman/UNMISS

A South Sudan People’s Defense Force Ammunition store blew up on Thursday in Rubkona County in Unity State, triggering deafening explosions that left civilians and troops injured.

The United Nations Mission in the country said in a statement June 9, that the ammunition depot at SSPDF’s Division Four headquarters caused dangerous explosives to “rip into homes and barracks.”

The “catastrophic” detonation reportedly affected civilians as far as two-kilometer radius from the scene.

The cause of the blast and the number of casualties have not been established, UNMISS quotes an SSPDF commander as saying.

It added that concerns have shifted to immediate safety threats of unexploded ordnance and dangerous debris that are present in many areas heavily populated by civilians.

Rubkona, an area hosting the administrative capital of Unity State – saw one of the most vicious political conflicts in 2014 – a year after violence erupted in December 2013.

“…the root cause (of the fire) remains unknown. We are actively investigating,” said Maj. Gen. William Manyang, the SSPDF infantry Division Four Commander in an interview published by the peacekeeping mission.

“Regrettably, the majority injured are civilians who were in close proximity to the barracks at the time. Amongst them is a female soldier who tragically lost her leg,” he said.

The UN field office in Bentiu said it assisted with blood donation for the injured while its demining teams are working “around the clock” to respond to the incident.

“The explosion was massive and, consequently, so is the radius that our demining teams have to focus on, survey, and clear,” said Fran O’ Grady, Chief of UNMAS.

“With extreme flooding in Unity state during the past couple of years, our fear is that much of the unexploded ordnance propelled into the air by the fire has been submerged under water,” he adds.

Grady added that climate shocks have created a challenging way to remove landmines.