A heart-wrenching incident shook a village in Sangke district, Battambang province, on Friday when two young boys found an old 60mm mortar shell and started playing with it. Fourteen-year-old Naryt lost several fingers, and five-year-old Narey suffered head injuries after the children placed the explosive on a hot stove, causing it to detonate.
Tragically, this land remains heavily littered with unexploded ordnance from decades of war. Several similar incidents have already occurred locally this year, including a fatal accident where a cassava farmer stepped on a buried shell and lost his life. Decades later, the deadly legacy of past conflicts continues to lurk hidden in the grass and soil.
Local demining authorities have once again launched urgent community broadcasts, warning residents across the neighborhoods that if they spot mortar shells, cluster munitions, or any suspicious metal objects in the fields or along the roads, they must never touch, throw, or move them. Anyone who comes across such items should immediately report them to the village chief, police, or local authorities so professional deminers can safely remove and destroy them before disaster strikes again.
