Mine event in Yen Bai, Tan Thanh, Yen Thai area, Viet Nam on Sat 7th October 2023

Sappers in the northern province of Yen Bai on October 10 safely defused a 340-kg bomb left from the war. Yen Bai (VNA) – Sappers in the northern province of Yen Bai on October 10 safely defused a 340-kg bomb left from the war. The bomb, which has a diametre of 0.42m and is 1.2m in length, was detected on October 7 by local residents after heavy rain on the previous night. It was located at the edge of a stream in Tan Thanh village, Yen Thai commune. Decades after the end of war, Vietnam still suffers from the deadly threat from bombs, mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) left by war. According to the Vietnam National Mine Action Centre, all 63 provinces and centrally-run cities in Vietnam are contaminated with UXO, with 5.6 million hectares of land in total (17.71% of the country’s acreage) affected. It is estimated that between 600,000 – 800,000 tonnes of UXO are still hidden underground, and 110,000 people have so far become victims of UXO./.