Cambodia finds 2,000 of war-era explosives buried at high school

The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) on August 14 announced that their experts have discovered more than 2,000 pieces of war-era unexploded ordance (UXO) buried in a school campus in Kratie province.
Cambodia finds 2,000 of war-era explosives buried at high school ảnh 1Deminers discovered more than 2,000 explosives inside the grounds of a high school in Kratie province during a three-day operation on August 11-13. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) on August 14 announced that their experts have discovered more than 2,000 pieces of war-era unexploded ordance (UXO) buried in a school campus in Kratie province.

According to CMAC’s director general Heng Ratana, within a three-day period of operation on August 11-13 at the Queen Kosamak High School in Kratie province, CMAC's Remnants of War team has cleared 2,116 pieces of UXOs.

He revealed that there still be many more pieces of unexploded munitions within the area and the school will be closed temporarily for a few more days for a clearance operation.

Ramtana said the explosive munitions were discovered after the school cleared land to expand a garden.

Cambodia is one of the countries worst affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs).

According Yale University, between 1965-1973, the US had dropped some 230,500 bombs on 113,716 sites in Cambodia.

In the Cambodian government’s latest report, from 1979 to June 2023, landmine and ERW explosions had claimed 19,821 lives and either injured or amputated 45,205 others in Cambodia.

The Cambodian government has vowed to clear all landmines by 2025./.

VNA

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