340-kg Bomb Deactivated in Vietnam Yen Bai

A bomb, weighing 340 kilos, has been detected at a local resident’s house in Vietnam’s northern mountainous province of Yen Bai.
According to initial information from the scene, Nguyen Van Tu of Nghia Dung village in Lang Thip commune of Van Yen district, was levelling the ground to build a new house when he suddenly saw the bomb, which was a leftover from the war.

Tu immediately informed local authorities of the bomb, which is measured to be 1.2 metres in length with a diametre of 42 cm. It was then moved to safety before being defused by the district’s authorities.

Decades after the end of war, Vietnam still suffers from the deadly threat of bombs, mines, and unexploded ordnance (UXO) left by historic conflicts.

According to details given by the Vietnam National Mine Action Center, all 63 provinces and centrally-run cities in the nation are contaminated with UXO, with 5.6 million hectares of land in total, equal to 17.71% of the country’s acreage, being affected.

It is estimated that between 600,000 and 800,000 tonnes of UXO remain hidden underground, with 110,000 people so far being victims of UXO.

(Nhandan)