Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Quang Tri (VNA) – Competent forces in central Quang Tri province’s Huong Hoa district have deactivated more than 460 shells, according to the provincial mobile bomb and mine clearance team under PeaceTrees Vietnam.
The unexploded ordnance (UXO) was detected by locals in Xuan Phuoc hamlet. All 463 shells of different kinds were moved to a concentrated explosive area in Huong Tan commune, Hoang Hoa district.
Tran Van Thanh, head of the provincial mobile bomb and mine clearance team, said the team met difficulties in handling the unexploded ordnance due to the large number of shells with different kinds.
The unexploded ordnance could be discarded by garbage collectors because they couldn’t handle by themselves, he added.
According to the National Steering Committee for Recovery of Postwar Bomb and Landmine Impacts, about 800,000 tonnes of UXOs are still scattered across 6.6 million hectares – or 20.12 percent of the country’s surface area, mainly in the central region – putting people in danger every day.
Vietnam has already cleared hundreds of thousands of hectares of UXOs so far. -VNA
VNA
