HƯNG YÊN — Local police on Tuesday found a large amount of bullet warheads stored in a household garden in DânTiến Commune in the northern province of HưngYên’s Khoái Châu District.

The warheads weighed some two tonnes, said the police, who reached the place after being intimated by the local people.

The individual possessing the warheads was identified as Nguyễn Đức Danh, a resident of Khoái Châu District’s Hồng Tiến Commune.

Danh told the police that he had purchased the warheads as scrap and had kept them in the garden belonging to one of his sisters, Phan Thị Thịnh, for months.

Recognising the danger posed by this kind of material, particularly after an explosion in Bắc Ninh, Danh reported the incident to the communal police.

Khoái Châu district police have asked the provincial Military Command to coordinate in transporting the warheads to a safe place to avoid threat to local residents.

Earlier on January 3, a big explosion occurred in Quan Độ hamlet, Văn Môn commune in Bắc Ninh Province’s Yên Phong district, killing two children and injuring eight others.

Many houses in the hamlet were damaged, leaving many bullet warheads at the scene.

Right after the explosion, the investigation agency of Bắc Ninh Police Department prosecuted 54-year-old NguyễnVănTiến, owner of the scrap that exploded, and remanded him in custody for illegally storing and trading military weapons.

NguyễnVăn Bang, chairman of Yên Phong District’s People’s Committee, said 6.8 tonnes of bullet warheads had been collected by local residents and relevant forces until January 6.

Two years ago, four people were killed and 10 injured in an explosion at the Văn Phú residential area in Hà Nội’s Hà Đông District. It was reported that a scrap collector had brought home a bomb and was sawing it to collect the metal.

The existence of scrap warehouses in crowded residential areas is a problem not only in HưngYên and Bắc Ninh provinces but all across the country. These warehouses not only affect the surrounding environment but also threaten the lives of local residents, Vietnam News Agency reported.

It’s time the government tightened the management of scrap dealers to minimise the damage. — VNS