SARAVANE, Laos: A UXO Laos team in Saravane, in collaboration with a specialist bomb disposal unit, safely removed an unexploded ordnance (UXO) discovered along Route 20 near the Xe Set River bridge construction site in Ban Saenwang Nyai village, Saravane district, on Wednesday (Nov 12), Laos News Agency (KPL) reported.
The device was uncovered by employees of SECC, a state-owned infrastructure construction company, during excavation work. They immediately alerted the Saravane UXO office, which dispatched a verification team to the site.
Head of the UXO Programme Office in Saravane, Khampiane Silaphet, said the team received authorisation from national headquarters to survey and assess the area, including possible environmental impacts in nearby Ban Saenwang Nyai and Ban Khua Set villages.
"After inspection, our technicians confirmed that the ordnance was an MK 82 GPLD 500-pound aerial bomb weighing 227 kilogrammes, equipped with an M904 fuse that remains highly dangerous,” he said.
Following safety protocols, residents in the surrounding area were temporarily evacuated before the device was relocated.
Senior Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician Sichan Duangsaly said the bomb was moved to a secure disposal field in Ban Talaeo, Saravane district, where it will be destroyed.
"The operation involved three disposal teams with 31 personnel, six security checkpoints and four evacuation zones to ensure public safety,” he said, adding that a crane truck was used to transport the device.
He also urged the public to immediately report any suspicious or explosive-like objects by calling the UXO hotline at 1603 or contacting the Saravane UXO office.
All UXO response services are provided free of charge. - Bernama/KPL
