WWII munitions unearthed near Solomon Islands school

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Aug 2024 16:06

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force has reported that over 200 heavily corroded projectiles, once belonging to US forces, were found near a school staff member's residence.

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This handout photo taken and released by the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) on August 20, 2024 shows unexploded ordnance -- or UXOs -- removed by members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Department (EODD) at St. Nicholas School in the capital Honiara. (Photo by Handout / Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) / AFP)

Workers at a school in the Solomon Islands made a startling discovery on Tuesday when they unearthed a stockpile of World War II munitions while digging a hole for a new sewage system.

The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force reported that over 200 heavily corroded projectiles, once belonging to US forces, were found near a school staff member's residence.

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The munitions are relics of the intense battles between Japanese and American troops that took place in the Solomon Islands during the war. These unexploded ordnance (UXOs) have posed a lingering danger in the South Pacific archipelago, with the potential to cause harm even decades later.

Inspector Clifford Tunuki stated that the dangerous cache has been safely transported to a secure location, where it is awaiting proper destruction. He described the find as an "eye opener", underscoring the ongoing risks posed by unexploded wartime munitions.

Photos from the scene show police officers manually extracting the rusted ordnance with shovels. This discovery highlights the persistent threat of UXOs in the region, a concern that tragically resulted in the deaths of two foreign bomb disposal experts in Honiara in 2020 while they were mapping old munitions caches.