Residents in several areas of the city were woken by the blast around 2am, which appeared to have occurred at a medical warehouse in the eastern township of Mingalar Taung Nyunt, sparking a large blaze.

A security official at the scene said 10 men, including three firefighters, and five women had died while at least 65 people were injured, including some 30 firemen.

"We are still trying to make the list. We are also trying to find out the cause of the explosion and the fire," he told AFP.

Fire rescue services were still working to put out the flames, but "were able to control the fire", the official said.

"We heard a very loud noise from the explosion and saw smoke in the sky. Our building was also shaken by the explosion. We have no idea what's happening," a resident in nearby Botahtaung township said.