Vietnam Central Highlands Province Tackles 250kg Wartime Bomb

The Military High Command in Vietnam’s Central Highlands province of Lam Dong’s Da Huoai District is working with agencies to transport a wartime bomb recently unearthed by residents, for safe detonation. The explosive device was detected on January 5 when an excavator was used at its location. Leftover by the US during the war, the bomb, whose detonator remains intact, is over 1.6m long, has a diameter of 30cm, and weighs more than 250kg. In addition to the disposal of the bomb, forces will conduct a search of the surrounding area, looking for explosives still underground to ensure people’s safety. According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam is one of the countries most contaminated with unexploded ordnances (UXOs). It is estimated that about 800,000 tons of UXOs were left across the country after the war ended in 1975, mostly in the central region. Some 6.13 million hectares of land are polluted with or suspected of being polluted with UXOs, accounting for 18.82% of the country’s total area. Since 1975, UXO incidents have killed more than 40,000 people and injured 60,000 others, most of whom were breadwinners of their families or children. (vietnamplus, baolamdong, vnanet, congluan)