The bombs are towed and transported to the TB1 firing range in Luc Ngan District, Bac Ninh Province where they are safely detonated on September 19. Photo by QDND
The bombs were first discovered on September 15, about 300 metres upstream from the bridge’s P10 pillar in Bo De Ward. The Hanoi Capital Command inspected the site and identified the bombs as M-118 demolition bombs, each weighing 3,000 pounds (1,362 kg) with both nose and tail fuzes intact.
Nguyen Chien Thang, head of the Engineering Department of the Hanoi Capital Command, said these are the largest unexploded demolition bombs ever found near Long Bien Bridge, dropped by US forces during the American War.
A floating barrier and warning zone were set up to restrict vessel movement near the site. On the night of September 18, the bombs were towed and transported to the TB1 firing range in Luc Ngan District, Bac Ninh Province, approximately 200 kilometres from Hanoi, and safely detonated at 6 am on September 19.
According to the Hanoi Capital Command, more than 1,700 wartime explosives have been collected and disposed of over the past 15 years, including 103 demolition bombs ranging from 250 to 3,000 lbs, over 940 cluster bombs and 660 artillery shells, mortars and other ordnance.
Colonel Thang noted that leftover wartime munitions had their detonation mechanisms activated but failed to explode due to faults in the fuzes, incomplete rotations or insufficient impact. “They remain extremely dangerous and can detonate at any time,” he warned, urging residents to avoid contact and immediately report any suspected ordnance to authorities for safe disposal.
