A father and his son have died after a bomb blast late yesterday around 7pm.
The father died shortly after the blast, his son reportedly died in hospital. Two others of the same family are said to be in a critical condition.
The tragic incident occurred at a residential area in East Honiara, just outside the Betikama area.
It is understood the family were cooking dinner over a stone oven when the blast occurred.
The fatality would be the Solomon Islands' fifth in just over a year caused by exploding WWII ordnance.
Thousands of items of unexploded ordnance are believed to remain scattered around the Solomon Islands and other Pacific nations, a grim legacy from almost 80 years ago, when US and other Allied troops fought Japanese forces during World War II.
Though the exact number of abandoned munitions in the Solomon Islands remains unknown, Australian NGO SafeGround says the amount of unexploded remnants in the region is "substantial".
Earlier this month a 300kg bomb was safely removed from under another house in Honiara.
Local police told media that the owner of the dwelling had found the massive bomb while digging a hole to replace old floor posts.
On that occasion the bomb, thought to have been dropped by US forces during World War II, was safely removed by the police explosive ordnance disposal team.
Sources – Solomon Times Online and Radio New Zealand.
Comment
I offer my condolences to the family and friends of the deceased and my hopes for the full recover of the wife and the other son of the deceased father, both said to be the pair in hospital following the bomb blast.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
