The government analyst and the CID are separately investigating the incident.

The cause for the blast cannot be determined until the government analyst’s report is received, say military officers at the scene.

On the evening of Sunday, around 5.42 pm, a soldier on duty at the ammo dump observed a minor fire, about which he informed his superiors and the warning sirens were sounded.

Soldiers have been made aware and training given with regard to the standard operating procedure to be followed in such a situation.

Immediate steps were taken to evacuate the people living near the camp, and that task was completed before the blasts started around 6.30 pm, a senior Army official told Sri Lanka Mirror.

At a media briefing on June 07, defence secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi said there was suspicion that a fire had started during an emergency drill or a test of fire extinguishers.

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