Warhead kills scrap collector

Mai Dinh Son, 41, works as a scrap collector in Quang Xuong District. A few days prior, he bought back a warhead from another collector. He tried to sell it but couldn’t, so he kept it.

He intended to dismantle the warhead to sell it as scrap, so he used a metal saw to cut it open. But the warhead exploded in the process, blowing off his leg and hand. His body was covered with shrapnel.

He was hospitalized, but eventually succumbed to his wounds.

The scene where the incident happened was littered with shrapnel. Multiple holes were spotted on the roof and objects inside the man’s house.

Authorities said the warhead was a Vietnam War relic, with its fuse still intact.

Since 1975, over 40,000 people have died and 60,000 were injured due to unexploded ordnance, not to mention those suffering the impacts of Agent Orange, according to incomplete official data.