VietNamNet Bridge – Local police on Tuesday found a large amount of bullet warheads stored in a household garden in Dan Tien Commune in the northern province of Hung Yen’s Khoai Chau District.

Bullet warheads collected after an explosion in Bac Ninh Province which killed two children and injured eight people. — VNA/VNS Photo Thai Hung

The warheads weighed some two tonnes, said the police, who reached the place after being intimated by the local people.

The individual possessing the warheads was identified as Nguyen Duc Danh, a resident of Khoai Chau District’s Hong Tien Commune.

Danh told the police that he had purchased the warheads as scrap and had kept them in the garden belonging to one of his sisters, Phan Thi Thinh, for months.

Recognising the danger posed by this kind of material, particularly after an explosion in Bac Ninh, Danh reported the incident to the communal police.

Khoai Chau District police have asked the provincial Military Command to coordinate in transporting the warheads to a safe place to avoid threat to local residents.

Earlier on January 3, a big explosion occurred in Quan Do Hamlet, Van Mon Commune in Bac Ninh Province’s Yen Phong District, killing two children and injuring eight others.

Many houses in the hamlet were damaged, leaving many bullet warheads at the scene.

Right after the explosion, the investigation agency of Bac Ninh Police Department prosecuted 54-year-old Nguyen Van Tien, owner of the scrap that exploded, and remanded him in custody for illegally storing and trading military weapons.

Nguyen Van Bang, chairman of Yen Phong District’s People’s Committee, said 6.8 tonnes of bullet warheads had been collected by local residents and relevant forces until January 6.

Two years ago, four people were killed and 10 injured in an explosion at the Van Phu residential area in Ha Noi’s Ha Dong District. It was reported that a scrap collector had brought home a bomb and was sawing it to collect the metal.

The existence of scrap warehouses in crowded residential areas is a problem not only in Hung Yen and Bac Ninh provinces but all across the country. These warehouses not only affect the surrounding environment but also threaten the lives of local residents, Vietnam News Agency reported.

It’s time the government tightened the management of scrap dealers to minimise the damage. 

Source: VNS