Bombs Linger Decades After a War is Over-- Part 6: Problems in Laos left Over from the Vietnam War

According to the Mines Advisory Group, nine people a day are killed by land mines and unexploded ordnance. worldwide.    Nowhere is the threat greater than in Laos which has the distinction of being the most heavily bombed country per capita in history.More than two million tons of ordnance was dropped on the country by the United States during the Vietnam War.

In the four decades since, more than 8,000 people have been killed and 12,000 wounded. Much of the harm is caused by cluster bombs, which spew dozens of smaller bomblets when detonated and can rip apart an area as large as a football field.

The tennis-ball-sized explosives known as "bombies" are often triggered by farmers or playful children.  One 9-year-old boy was killed when his hoe struck one.  here is another story of two children tossing one around, thinking it was a ball.  When it burst, one child was killed instantly.

Advocacy efforts have convinced the U.S. to quadruple its spending on bomb removal in Laos.  That sum is now $12 million.

--GreGen