Tonnes of old ammunition explode in Vietnam scrapyard, killing two children

A baby boy and a five-year-old girl were killed and several people injured Wednesday when a cache of ammunition illegally stored at a scrap metal warehouse exploded east of Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, destroying several houses and leaving a massive crater.

A scrap merchant was later held for “illegally stockpiling and buying weapons”, the state-run Bao Giao Thong website said, explaining he had stored seven tonnes of old bullets in his garden in Bac Ninh province since 2016 to be dismantled for the metal.

The blast occurred at 4.30am, demolishing buildings while residents slept, sending debris flying through the air and gouging a huge hole in the earth.

The explosion reduced four homes to rubble and shattered the windows of surrounding buildings.

A one-year-old boy and a girl were killed, according to a report from the provincial health department.

At least eight others were injured by the blast, district authorities said in a statement.