Blast kills 7 Ukrainians, 1 Kazakh
(CNN) -- Seven Ukrainian soldiers and one Kazakh serving in Iraq were killed in an explosion Sunday when troops were detonating ordnance at an ammunition storage point, the U.S.-led military said.
It is believed to be an accident. An investigation is under way.
An additional seven Ukrainians and four Kazakhs were wounded in the blast, said Lt. Col. Artur Domanski, spokesman for the Multi-National Forces.
The troops were less than two months into a six-month deployment.
The incident took place at noon (4 a.m. ET), when an explosives disposal team with the 2nd Brigade combat team was detonating ordnance at an ammunition storage point near the town of al-Suwaira, about 50km (31 miles) south of Baghdad, Domanski said.
Nearly 1,600 Ukrainians are serving in Iraq, as are about 30 Kazakhs.
Before Sunday, a total of nine Ukrainian troops had been killed in Iraq since the war began -- three of them in hostile incidents. There were no reports of earlier Kazakh deaths.
CNN's Arwa Damon contributed to this report.
