A senior military official in Cambodia says the huge explosion over the weekend that killed 20 soldiers at an army base in the country's southwest appears to have been an accident caused by mishandling of ammunition by troops. The Saturday afternoon blast in Kampong Speu province also destroyed military vehicles and four buildings at the base and damaged homes in a nearby village. An army spokesperson said on Tuesday that the soldiers were transferring ammunition from trucks into a storage facility when the blast occurred, killing them instantly. He said another 11 people, soldiers and nearby villagers, were slightly wounded.

A U.S. Navy ship and several Army vessels involved in an American-led effort to bring more aid into the besieged Gaza Strip are offshore from the enclave and building out a floating platform for the operation. The Pentagon said on Monday that the construction and operation of the pier and aid delivery will cost at least $320 million. U.S. officials have confirmed the ongoing construction off the Gaza coast. The U.S. and Israel have said they hope to have the mobile pier in place and operations underway by early May. Aid has been slow to get into Gaza, with long backups of trucks awaiting Israeli inspections.

Richelle Dietz is a mother of two and wife of a U.S. Navy chief petty officer living on a Hawaii military base who often thinks about water. The family has been using bottled water for drinking, cooking and brushing teeth ever since 2021, when leaking jet fuel infiltrated the water system on their military base. Dietz is among 17 people suing the United States over the leak and continuing health problems they argue are tied to the tainted water. Dietz's case goes to trial Monday. The outcome could help determine the success of several cases that include more than 7,500 people.