PRAGUE: A soldier was killed and eight people were wounded in an explosion on Monday at a Czech military base used to train Ukrainian troops, officials said.

The blast occurred at around midday at the Libava military training area near the city of Olomouc, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of the capital Prague.

“One professional soldier died during an explosion at the Libava military training area,” the Czech army said on X.

“Seven professional soldiers and one civilian employee were transported to military and university hospitals in Olomouc,” it added.

The Czech army has been training Ukrainian soldiers at Libava since late 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February of that year.

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Military police spokeswoman Katerina Mlynkova told AFP the wounded “were not foreigners”.

The army said on X that “unspecified ammunition had exploded”, without giving any further details.

Olomouc University Hospital spokesman Adam Fritscher told AFP the facility had admitted two patients brought in from the base by helicopter.

“They suffered moderate injuries and their lives are not in danger,” he added.

Fritscher said earlier that six patients taken by ambulance to an army hospital in Olomouc and another was treated at the base.