Blast kills 2 children, knocks down 5 houses in Vietnam
Wednesday, January 03, 2018, 10:10 GMT+7
Two children were killed and several others injured in an explosion early Wednesday morning in Vietnam, local authorities have confirmed.
The blast had occurred at around 4:10 am on Wednesday at a warehouse storing scrap metal in Yen Phong District, Bac Ninh Province, located in the northern region.
“I’ve never heard such a big explosion in my life,” a local who was getting ready for a morning jog at his home located around one kilometer from the scene told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
Those living near the blast said they had heard the same loud bang, followed by the sound of metal pieces raining down on their roofs.
Some residents reported finding bullet shells on their roofs and in their yards that might have come from the explosion.
Glass doors and windows of houses closer to the explosion were shattered, while metal door frames were badly deformed by the immense pressure of the blast.
The site of the explosion in Yen Phong District, Bac Ninh Province. Clip: Tuoi Tre
According to Nguyen Van Bang, chairman of Yen Phong District, two children had been killed and seven others injured in the explosion, which also flattened five neighboring houses.
At the site of the incident, a crater measuring around four meters wide and 20 meters long was what was left of the warehouse and nearby houses.
Local authorities arrived 30 minutes after the blast to rush the injured to hospital and conduct a scene investigation.
According to neighbors, the warehouse is owned by a family who makes a living by collecting and reselling scrap metal.
The warehouse was unoccupied at the time of the explosion, as its owners were believed to stay at another address, not in the same neighborhood as the warehouse.
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| The site of the explosion in Yen Phong District, Bac Ninh Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Bullet shells are found near the blast. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Bullet shells are found near the blast. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
Accidents involving locals trying to disassemble unexploded shells are not uncommon in Vietnam. In 2016, an explosion occurred in Van Phu Victoria Urban Area in Hanoi, killing four and causing 11 others to be hospitalized.
The deadly incident was later declared as having been caused by locals mishandling unexploded ordnance.
The practice of breaking open bombs and shells for their metal and gunpowder is common among Vietnam’s poor, who make money selling the scrap material on ‘bomb markets,' or in scrap collection hubs.
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| The site of the explosion in Yen Phong District, Bac Ninh Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| A large crater is seen at the site of the explosion. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Policemen are seen at the site of the explosion. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Houses are reduced to rubble at the site of the explosion. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Policemen are seen at the site of the explosion. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| A local climbs through the rubble to get out of the danger zone. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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| Pieces of scrap are found on the roof of a house one kilometer away from the explosion. Photo: Tuoi Tre |
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