You would think that the first thing you would learn when training for this line of work is proper safety procedures, and how to avoid premature and accidental explosions.
Agreed. Modern explosives are extremely stable, and so are igniters and detonators. If they were using electrical detonators (caps), I wonder if high-altitude static discharge might have been the culprit? Were shorting plugs removed prematurely?
“First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin...”