Massive batch of war-era ammunition unearthed in Vietnam

By VnExpress November 7, 2016 | 02:03 am PT

Cartridges are unearthed in Dak Lak Province in Vietnam's Central Highlands. Photo by VnExpress/Kh.Uyen

80 cartridges were discovered at what used to be a military base in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.

Military officers in Dak Lak Province in the Central Highlands collected 80 cartridges and a large amount of explosives at a construction site on Monday.

A construction company found the large batch of unexploded ordnance when installing a water pipe in the province’s capital Buon Ma Thuot on Friday.

The province’s military command sent a team down on Saturday. They also found a rocket propulsion unit M72 and a combination gun M30.

All the arms and ammunition will be disposed off, an official said.

An artillery regiment of the U.S.-backed South Vietnam was based in the area during the Vietnam War.

Unexploded ordnance from the war still threatens a fifth of land mass across Vietnam and explosions occur frequently, killing more than 1,500 people every year and maiming and injuring 2,200 more, according to official data.

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