270-kilo war bomb unearthed in central Vietnam

By Hoang Tao   January 11, 2017 | 05:30 am PT
270-kilo war bomb unearthed in central Vietnam
The bomb found in Quang Tri Province on Tuesday. Photo by VnExpress/Uyen Nhi
Bomb removal group PeaceTrees has safely removed the bomb found in Quang Tri Province.

Road construction workers in the central province of Quang Tri found a bomb of around 270 kilograms (615 lbs) on Wednesday.

The bomb, 1.7 meters long, was found two meters underground.

Authorities said the bomb is an unguided, general-purpose Mark 82 used by the U.S. during the Vietnam War.

Members of the U.S.-based bomb removal organization PeaceTrees Vietnam have moved the bomb to a safe place for detonation.

Quang Tri was the hardest hit by bombings during the war. The province was a center for American military bases and a principle battleground during the 1968 Tet Offensive.

An estimated 400,000 pieces of unexploded ordinance, or UXO, remain buried across 480,000 hectares (1.2 million acres) of land in Quang Tri. They can be found in residential areas, gardens and even under houses.

Across Vietnam, UXO still threatens a fifth of land mass and explosions occur frequently, killing more than 1,500 people every year and maiming and injuring 2,200 more, according to official data.

Related news:

> 230kg war bomb deactivated in central Vietnam

> 300-kilo war bomb found in central Vietnam

> Vietnam's never-ending war: into the trenches with the bomb disposal squad

 
 
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