Quang Tri (VNA) – As many as 85 shells left from the warwere safely detonated in the central province of Quang Tri, said the MinesAdvisory Group (MAG) on March 28.
MAG members found an underground pit containing the shells whenthey were clearing unexploded ordnances (UXOs) in Lien Chieu village in theprovince’s Trieu Phong district. The shells were of different types, includingmortar shells, grenades and detonators.
The MAG is registered as a charitable company in the UK. It is a humanitarian and advocacy organisation thatfinds, removes and destroys landmines, cluster munitions and unexplodedbombs from places affected by conflict.
According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids andSocial Affairs, Vietnam is one of countries most contaminated with UXOs.
It is estimated that about 800,000 tonnes ofUXOs were left across the country after the war ended in 1975, mostly in thecentral region. Some 6.13 million hectares of land are polluted with orsuspected of being polluted with UXOs, accounting for 18.82 percent of thecountry’s total area.
Since 1975, UXO incidents have killed more than40,000 people and injured 60,000 others, most of whom were breadwinners oftheir families or children.-VNA
Quang Tri pools resources to overcome post-war UXO
The People’s Committee of central Quang Tri province announced on March 15 that it has approved a project on technical consultation, training and capacity building for the clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from the war.