More than 300 unexploded bomblets from a Vietnam War-era cluster bomb were collected and destroyed in the central province of Nghe An, VnExpress reported on May 12. The site quoted Quynh Luu District’s military headquarters as saying that the bomblets were spread out over roughly 100 square meters in Quynh Thang Commune. Local agencies say that the unexploded 50mm bomblets came from a cluster bomb that the US military dropped during the Vietnam War. The military found the unexploded ordnance (UXO) thanks to a tip from locals. Official figures show that the US military dumped more than 15 million tons of bombs and other kinds of munitions on Vietnam during the war. Unexploded ordnance (UXO) has killed more than 42,000 people and injured another 62,000 in Vietnam since the war ended in 1975, putting the annual death rate at over 1,500 and the injured at nearly 2,300, according to preliminary statistics. A recent national survey of 49 provinces and cities showed that 7.1 million hectares of land are contaminated with UXO. It was estimated that every year around 20,000 hectares of land is inspected and cleared, meaning that Vietnam will still need another 300 years to finish the work. (Thanhniennews.com May 13)
