Dong Thap (VNA) – A total of 44 sets of remains of fallen soldiers have been recovered in Ca Cai hamlet, Tan Thanh border commune of Dong Thap province, following a 14-day search, Team K91 under the Political Division of the Dong Thap provincial Military Command announced on August 21.
The search was conducted as part of the national 500-day campaign to step up the search, collection and identification of fallen soldiers’ remains.
Based on information provided by local witnesses, Team K91 carried out excavations in Ca Cai from August 7-20. Decades after the war, the former burial site had been levelled and used by local residents to grow fruit trees, requiring excavations at some locations to depths of more than three metres.
The 44 sets of remains recovered have not yet been identified. They were found wrapped and tied in military tarpaulins, together with hammock fabric and pieces of clothing.
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Vo Thanh Dan, head of Team K91, said the search had received strong support from local residents, who provided information about the possible locations of fallen soldiers’ remains, offered equipment and helped with the excavations.
The team regularly searches for and collects fallen soldiers’ remains in Dong Thap and the Cambodian provinces of Pursat and Prey Veng. It is also currently excavating and collecting samples from remains at Tien Giang Martyrs’ Cemetery in Trung An ward for DNA testing and identification.
Under the 500-day campaign, the team has so far recovered 114 sets of fallen soldiers’ remains, including 47 found in Cambodia and 67 in Vietnam./.
VNA
