At least eleven UN peacekeepers were injured when ammunition exploded during a routine military exercise at a United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) base in southern Lebanon, both UN and Lebanese sources said, in what appears to have been an accident, dpa reported. "At least eleven soldiers from the French contingent were injured, among them one in serious condition," a UN source who requested anonymity said. According to the source the soldiers accidently fired an anti- rocket device during the routine exercise. The source added that one soldier suffered serious facial wounds and was transferred to hospital, while other soldiers sustained minor injuries to arms and legs from shrapnel. UNIFIL spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Naresh Bhatt said that the ammunition depot exploded during a routine military exercise in the southern town of Al-Ttyri. "Several soldiers were wounded in the blast; one of them is in critical condition," Bhatt confirmed. UNIFIL has launched an immediate investigation into the incident, he added.
