The site of the incident has been sealed off by local authorities. — VNA/VNS Photo

BẠC LIÊU — One man died after a mortar shell explosion on Tuesday morning in Châu Hưng A Commune, Vĩnh Lợi District, the southern province of Bạc Liêu.

Chairman of the commune Nguyễn Văn Cẩm said neighbours heard a loud explosion in the warehouse belonging to a man named Hồ Thanh Long, born in 1987, at Chất Đốt village, and rushed to the scene. But when they arrived his lifeless body was laying among a pile of rubble.

The warehouse sustained serious damage, while broken glasses and pieces of the tin roof littered the ground, while the thin walls saw several holes.

Long used to be on the village's poverty list, and thanks to a small loan from the commune, he had bought a plough and offered his service to the local farmers.

He also did some welding of farm tools for the local residents in his free time.

The explosive device is determined to be 1.33kg in weight, causing damage up to 10m away.

The cause of the explosion and the reason why there was a mortar in Long's warehouse are being investigated. — VNS