Phnom Penh, Cambodia : Two Cambodian children have been killed trying to prise open a discarded rocket-propelled grenade with an axe, police said today.
Nearly three decades of civil war gripped Cambodia from the 1960s, leaving the poverty-stricken nation both one of the most heavily bombed and heavily mined countries in the world.
The children, cousins aged 12 and 14, came across the unexploded ordnance on Friday while hunting for wild birds close to their home in central Kampong Thom province, local commune police chief Pen Sam Oth told AFP.
"They used an axe to try and open up the old grenade and it eventually exploded, killing them both instantly," he said, adding that a third boy escaped unharmed and alerted police and local villagers.
The grenade came from a B-40, a variant of the Russian RPG-2 frequently used by Vietnamese troops during their war against the United States and Hanoi's later invasion of Cambodia.
The country has taken major steps to clear millions of unexploded bombs but maimings and fatalities are still common with children in particular often unaware of how dangerous such objects can be.
Unexploded ordnance has killed nearly 20,000 people and wounded double that number since 1979.
Cambodia reported 111 landmine and unexploded ordnance casualties, including 18 deaths, in 2015 while 154 people were killed or injured by leftover mines in 2014.
Nearly three decades of civil war gripped Cambodia from the 1960s, leaving the poverty-stricken nation both one of the most heavily bombed and heavily mined countries in the world.
The children, cousins aged 12 and 14, came across the unexploded ordnance on Friday while hunting for wild birds close to their home in central Kampong Thom province, local commune police chief Pen Sam Oth told AFP.
The grenade came from a B-40, a variant of the Russian RPG-2 frequently used by Vietnamese troops during their war against the United States and Hanoi's later invasion of Cambodia.
Advertisement
Unexploded ordnance has killed nearly 20,000 people and wounded double that number since 1979.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Deadly Gaza Battles, Hezbollah Rockets As War Enters 10th Month Part Of Tianlong-3 Rocket Crashes In China During Test, Says Space Pioneer Mega Rocket 'Soorya' In the Making, Will Take Indians To Moon: ISRO Chief To NDTV UP BJP Rejig Soon? State Chief Offers To Quit Over Poll Drubbing: Sources UP Banker Dies By Suicide After 6 Months Of Bullying, Body-Shaming Flying Squad Climbs Wall, Crashes Rajasthan School Exam, Finds Mass Cheating "Relocate To Vizag": Andhra Minister To IT Firms Amid Karnataka Quota Row MAT August 2024: Registrations Underway For Management Aptitude Test Government Should Rationalise Customs Duty In Budget: Chamber Of Commerce Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.