Old mortar shell wounds 11 Cambodian children
Mar 1, 2012, 12:05 PM
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) – An old mortar shell exploded as children played with it in their Cambodian schoolroom, and 11 students were wounded.
Preah Vihear province police chief Mao Pov said the 60mm shell exploded when a student placed it on the floor and hit it with a rock while the teacher was out of the room.
He said three students are in critical condition. They are 9 to 13 years old.
Millions of pieces of unexploded ordnance left over from decades of civil war that ended in the 1990s are buried all over Cambodia.
Last month, eight farmers died when their tractor ran over an old anti-tank mine. About 200 Cambodians were killed or wounded by mines last year.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
