Authorities in Quang Tri Province have recovered three sets of remains believed to belong to Vietnamese war dead, including a collective grave where the remains had been scattered by bombing and mixed with rubble and debris.
Authorities search for fallen soldiers' remains in Quang Tri Ward, Quang Tri Province (Photo: Xuan Dien).
The Quang Tri Provincial Military Command said recovery teams located the remains during operations carried out on August 25 and August 26 in Quang Tri Ward.
At Tri Buu Quarter, search teams discovered two sets of remains that had been severely disturbed by bomb blasts. The remains were found among bricks and stones and included bone fragments, leg bones, foot bones and teeth.
A range of military artefacts was recovered alongside the remains, including two parachute hammocks, two military ponchos, two daggers, two gas masks, burnt sandal soles, two belt buckles, two canteens, a communications device, components of an AK rifle, a compass, binoculars, an infantry shovel, an AK ammunition magazine, a watch and uniform buttons.
Based on the condition of the site, the quantity of bone fragments and the associated artefacts, investigators concluded that the location was a collective grave that had been struck and disrupted by bombing while the remains were buried in a bunker.
Artefacts of the fallen soldiers found in the collective grave in Quang Tri Ward (Photo: Xuan Dien).
At Nhu Le Quarter, recovery teams found another set of remains at a depth of 0.8 metres. The remains were wrapped in a military poncho and tied with communications wire. Although most of the skeletal remains had deteriorated, officials said the teeth were sufficiently preserved to allow DNA sampling and identification work.
Artefacts recovered at the site included a military poncho, communications wire and uniform buttons.
Authorities said search operations are continuing and that the recovery area is being expanded in an effort to locate additional remains in the surrounding area.