One wounded, houses damaged as excavator triggers bomb explosion in Vietnam

One person was injured and multiple houses damaged after an excavator hit and triggered a bomb as it was digging up the ground to build a sewer line in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Ngai on Monday.

The blast occurred at around 2:30 pm along provincial road No. 624 in Hanh Minh Commune, Nghia Hanh District, the commune chairman Doan Tan Nguyen confirmed.

A worker was controlling an excavator to dig up the soil to construct a sewer and drainage line along the street when the machine hit the bomb in the ground.

The roof of a house is damaged by shrapnel following the explosion. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The bomb then went off, injuring a resident named Nguyen Dien Cu, who was later admitted to the hospital for emergency treatment.

The blast also caused shrapnel to hit about ten houses within the radius, resulting in damage to their roofs and multiple objects inside.

A motorbike and two cars were also damaged by the flying debris.

Debris in a house of a local resident. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Local authorities are probing the case and calculating the exact damage.

The local administration will also review possible measures to assist the affected residents in repairing their homes.

Chairman Nguyen said the site of the incident is an area known to have unexploded ordnance left over from wartime.

A woman cleans her home after the blast. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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