Over 20,000 south Kashmir villagers who fled from in and around Anantnag's Khundroo following explosions that triggered a fire at the army's biggest field ordnance depot in the valley have been asked not to return unless the area around the depot is declared safe.

Intermittent explosions continued to rock the Khandroo ammunition depot, 65 km from Srinagar [Images], sending shells and shrapnel flying in all directions.

Two persons were killed and 40 others, including 25 army troopers, were injured.

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad made an aerial survey of the villages.

Major General S K Bharadwaj briefed the chief minister.

He said the people who had been evacuated from the adjacent villages should not rush back.

The army and the administration will have to satisfy themselves first that the villages had been cleared of danger.

He said unexploded ammunition could have landed in the fields and habitations, posing danger to human life.

The chief minister asked the administration to set up at least 20 camps for the evacuated population with adequate arrangements for shelter, food, water and medicines.