Deadly blast in Vietnamese capital triggered by military explosives
The explosion in Hanoi that killed five and wounded several others last month was caused by military explosives, authorities have confirmed.
The blast went off in Van Phu Victoria Urban Area in Ha Dong District on the outskirts of the capital at around 3:00 pm on March 19, claiming five lives and leading to several others being hospitalized.
Maj. Gen. Hoang Quoc Dinh, chief of the Hanoi Fire Prevention and Fighting Police Department, announced at a press briefing in the capital city that investigators have identified military explosives as the cause of the explosion.
 |
| The site of the explosion in Ha Dong District, Hanoi, March 19, 2016 |
The press briefing was chaired by the Propaganda Department of the Hanoi Party Committee to summarize the results of firefighting and fire prevention activities in the northern metropolis in the first quarter of 2016.
Dinh cited information from the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security, saying to identify the precise category of the explosive was not an easy task.
“We can only say for sure that the explosives were military, but it is still open to question whether it was a bomb or a torpedo. I can imagine it has been missing for many years and has lost its original shape. There are no symbols or serial numbers left,” Dinh said.
According to Maj. Gen. Dinh, after the explosion, the municipal People’s Committee passed orders for the Capital Command, Public Security, and Fire Prevention and Fighting Police Department to promptly inspect, collect, and retrieve any explosive material left in residential areas.
