150 unexploded ordnance pieces in Quang Tri defused

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The UXOs found in Quang Tri province.

The unexploded ordnance were found in an underground pit by MAG staff members on December 9. The shells were of different types, including mortar shells, grenades and detonators. All the explosive devices were then transferred to a warehouse before they are defused.

The MAG is registered as a charitable company in the UK. It is a humanitarian and advocacy organization that finds, removes and destroys landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded bombs from places affected by conflict.

According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam is one of countries most contaminated with UXOs. It is estimated that about 800,000 tons of UXOs were left across the country after the war ended in 1975, mostly in the central region.

Meanwhile, Quang Tri province was one of the hardest-hit provinces in the war. Nearly 400,000ha of the 461,000ha province still contain bombs and mines. Every year, some 2,300-2,500ha of land is cleared.

Leftover wartime bombs and mines have claimed more than 42,130 lives and injured 62,160 others across Vietnam. It is estimated it will take 100 years and US$10 billion to clear post-war mines remaining in Vietnam.