An accident had killed a minority 38-year-old man, a breadwinner of eight-member family, on the spot at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, February 12, 2010. The explosion occurred in Mai Lanh Village, Mo O Commune, Dakrong District, the western part of Quang Tri Province, along the former wartime DMZ. The mournful accident happened at the time when most people don’t work and stay home to prepare for the Vietnamese traditional lunar Tet holidays which began on February 14, 2010.
It was believed that the victim had hit an unexploded cluster bomb while he was working on his family’s milpa. This is the cultivating land for over a half of Van Kieu people who are residents of Klong Krang Townlet. Bananas, cassava and maize are major sources of income for more than 1,800 ethnic minority people.
The accident killed the victim immediately on spot by breaking off his two hands and making many holes on his body from his waist to his head. The death of the family’s bread-winner suddenly puts his family into an extremely difficulty.
Information of the accident was immediately passed on by Project RENEW to Clear Path International and Peace Trees Vietnam, two non-profit projects specializing in providing direct support to UXO accident victims in Quang Tri Province for helping this unlucky family.
Although Dakrong is a largest district of Quang Tri Province with 1,223,32 km2, it has 35,973 people and the minority people take 82% of the district population. Since 1975 to the present, Dakrong has 398 UXO victims in which it has 148 death cases.
According to the survey conducted by BOMICEN/VVAF, 99% of 750 km2 surveyed area of Dakrong District is confirmed and suspected to be contaminated by unexploded ordnance. These contaminated areas are latent danger for the people in Dakrong District and it is now being cleared by the co-efforts and the cooperation of the province and Peace Trees Vietnam.
Article by Dang Quang Toan
Program Manager
Mine & Cluster Victim Assistance Program
Project RENEW Coordination Office
103 Nguyen Binh Khiem, Dong Ha
Quang Tri, Vietnam