The 227kg bomb is being handled by Quảng Bình Province's military. — VNA/VNS Photo

QUẢNG BÌNH — The military force in the central province of Quảng Bình has removed a bomb left from wartime from the seabed offshore Quảng Trạch District and destroyed it safely, the command of the province’s border guard force said on Sunday.

A local fisherman detected the 1.6m long bomb about 100m from the shore on February 13 and quickly alerted the local border guard station, which promptly zoned off the dangerous area and informed relevant authorities.  

On February 18, military personnel in the province removed the bomb from the seabed safely and transported to the designated site for detonation. The bomb is identified as a MK-82 500LBS that was dropped during the war against the United States' aggression.

Decades after the end of war, Việt Nam still suffers from the deadly threat from bombs, mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) left by war.

According to the Việt Nam National Mine Action Centre, all 63 provinces and centrally-run cities in Việt Nam are contaminated with UXO, with 5.6 million hectares of land in total (17.71 per cent 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.

Quảng Bình Province is among the most heavily bombed locality during the war. — VNS