Two Vietnamese children killed after explosion near Hanoi destroys several houses

A baby and a five-year-old girl were killed in an explosion east of Vietnam’s capital Hanoi early on Wednesday that destroyed several houses and wounded at least six other people.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the blast in Bac Ninh province’s Yen Phong district, which occurred at 4.30am demolishing buildings and sending debris flying through the air.

The explosion completely razed five homes and shattered the windows of surrounding buildings, according to a reporter at the scene.

A one-year-old boy and a girl were killed, according to a report from the provincial health department, while six others were taken to hospital with injuries.

“The blast seemed to be in an area where there are many families involved in collecting scrap,” a local official said, requesting anonymity.

Salvage of metal from the tonnes of Vietnam War-era bombs that still blanket the country often ends in tragedy.