The bomb measures 1.2m in length and over 100kg in weight (Source: VNA) Dien Bien (VNA) – The Military Command of Dien Bien Phu city in thenorthwestern mountainous province of Dien Bien announced on April 22 that a bombweighing over 100kg left over from the war had been deactivated safely.
The 1.2m bomb was discovered when ground was being clearedfor a project in Kha hamlet, Nam Thanh ward of Dien Bien Phu city on April 18.
This is the second bomb found in the city in 2020. OnFebruary 14, a 340kg bomb was also deactivated.
Since the beginning of this year, the city has deactivatedmore than 300kg of shells unearthed in the locality - the site of a major campaign that saw fierce battles between Vietnam and French colonialist forces in 1954.
The command has told locals to immediately notify military offices and local authorities if they find bombs and mines.
According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and SocialAffairs, Vietnam is one of the most contaminated countries in the world for unexploded ordnances (UXO).
It is estimated that about 800,000 tonnes of UXOs were leftacross the country after the war ended in 1975, mostly in the central region.Some 6.13 million hectares of land are polluted or suspected of beingpolluted with UXOs, accounting for 18.82 percent of the country’s total area.
Since 1975, UXO incidents have killed more than 40,000people and injured 60,000 others./.
VNA
