Following a tip-off from the public, authorities in the central province of Quang Tri have dug up two bomb stores with a high number of UXO items situated close to residential areas.After three hours of searching on January 21, demining specialists discovered 47 UXO items with their detonators still intact on an empty land in Khe Sanh town, Huong Hoa district.Nguyen Van Cuong, head of the demining team, said they have yet to be able to identify the exact number of UXO items in the two stores – i.e underground holes that store the bombs. Local people said there are an estimated 400 to 600 UXO items in each.But Cuong added the number could be much higher. It has been reported that 391,500 hectares out of 461,297 hectares in Quang Tri have been polluted with UXO but only 2,300 to 2,500 hectares of them are cleared per year. More than 2,600 people have been killed and nearly 5,000 injured by UXO since 1975 when the Vietnam War ended, said the provincial Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.Many international organizations have funded the province in carrying out mine clearance to ensure safety for local residents.UXO refers to explosive weapons like bombs, bullets, shells, grenades, land mines, and naval mines. (Tuoi Tre –Youth Jan 22)
