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Exploded hand grenade in Lao school brought by trainer: police

Xinhua, January 24, 2017 Adjust font size:

A hand grenade that exploded Tuesday morning during a military-tactics training drill at a secondary school in Lao northern Oudomxay province was brought to the school by the trainer, who was killed in the accident, said a police officer.

A military trainer was killed and 26 students were injured on Tuesday when a hand grenade accidentally exploded at about 9 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) during a demonstration of how to properly use grenades at Muaengxay Secondary School in Xay district, Oudomxay, some 360 km northwest of capital Vientiane, Lao News Agency reported.

"Only fake grenades are ever used for such training courses, but the trainers, who have been running such courses for years, this time brought both real and fake grenades to the training course," Chief of Police Headquarters of the district, Lieutenant Colonel Maidaeng Khampanya said to Lao state-run Vientiane Times.

"It was an accident. Normally he (the trainer) brought only fake grenades to the training course. It is routine practice that only the fake grenades are brought to such training courses," Maidaeng said.

The tragedy happened as the trainer, Military First Lieutenant Somphone brought both real and fake grenades to the training course held at a the school. The trainer accidentally took the real grenade and pulled its pin as he was demonstrating how to use the grenade. First lieutenant Somphone later realized that the grenade he had pulled the pin on was a real one and he then used himself to cover the grenade to protect the students, Maidaeng was quoted by Vientiane Times as saying.

The trainer was killed instantly while some 26 students suffered minor injuries, Maidaeng said after his team rushed to the scene and cleared the incident.

Head of the Outpatients Division of Oudomxay provincial Hospital, Dr Somphan Oudomphan confirmed that the students had suffered only minor injuries, mostly shrapnel wounds. However, three injured students who suffered symptoms such as difficulty breathing were sent to a Chinese-run hospital in the province to undergo CT scans to identify the causes, according to Somphan.

Every year in Laos, secondary school students are encouraged to take a one-week military course and higher education students are encouraged to take a military course lasting several weeks. Endit