Bomb left over from Vietnam war explodes killing four young children and injuring five other people

This article is more than 7 years old

This article is more than 7 years old

A mortar shell left from the Vietnam war has exploded in a village in the south, killing four children and seriously injuring five other people.

Le Van Giang, an official from the village of Hieu Nghia, said three children aged four to 11 died at the scene on Sunday afternoon and a six-year-old boy died later at hospital. The blast seriously injured two other children and three men.

Giang said the children found the shell in a bamboo brush then dragged it out and were playing with it when it exploded. A villager had originally found the shell five years ago when dredging a canal.

The village in Vinh Long province was a communist stronghold during the war.

Vietnamese government figures show that unexploded bombs have killed more than 42,000 people since the war ended in 1975.