Locals in Faisalabad have found a bomb weighing 750 pounds from fields which, according to District Civil Defence, may have been dropped during the 1965 or 1971 Indo-Pak wars, but did not explode.
The unexploded ordnance (UXO) was unearthed when locals were digging in agricultural fields near Faisalabad airport.
The bomb — in rusty and dilapidated condition — was handed over to Civil Defence officials shortly after it was discovered.
District Civil Defence officer Rana Abbas was quoted as saying that the bomb will be handed over to Pakistan Air Force (PAF).
UXO:
UXO of war is an explosive that did not explode when it was employed and still pose a risk of detonation, sometimes many decades after it was used or discarded.
It does not always originate from wars; areas such as military training grounds can also hold significant numbers, even after the area has been abandoned.
UXO from World War I continue to be a hazard, with poisonous gas filled munitions still a problem. When unwanted munitions are found, they are sometimes destroyed in controlled explosions, but accidental detonation of even very old explosives also occurs, sometimes with fatal results.
Around 80 countries are contaminated by land mines, which kill or maim 15,000–20,000 people every year. Approximately 80% of casualties are civilians, with children the most affected age group. An estimated average of 50% of deaths occurs within hours of the blast.
In recent years, mines have been used increasingly as weapons of terror against local civilian populations specifically.
In addition to the obvious danger of explosion, buried UXO can also cause environmental contamination. In some heavily used military training areas, munitions-related chemicals can enter soil and groundwater.
