Wartime bomb explodes in southern Vietnam

A U.S.-made bomb left from the war exploded in a military depot in Vietnam's southern Dong Thap province, blowing up roofs of the depot and some nearby residential houses, local media reported Wednesday.

At Tuesday noon, a phosphorus bomb, which was sent to the depot of the military command of Sa Dec City one day earlier, suddenly exploded, online newspaper Giao Duc Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh (Ho Chi Minh City Education) quoted sources from the Dong Thap Party Committee as reporting.

The bomb, collected by sappers of the Military Zone No. 9, exploded due to heat in the depot, said the sources.

However, online newspaper VnExpress quoted senior lieutenant-colonel Nguyen Viet Thuat from the Military Zone No. 9 as saying that the bomb was kept at the depot of the Engineer Brigade No.25 in Sa Dec for future disposal, and then exploded all of a sudden.

According to his judgment, the phosphorus bomb was too old and leaked, so when exposing to sunlight, it burned and exploded.

White phosphorus munitions were used extensively in Vietnam by the U.S. Air Force. White phosphorus can cause injuries and death in three ways: by burning deep into tissue, by being inhaled as a smoke, and by being ingested. Extensive exposure by burning and ingestion is fatal. Endit