Three Killed in Illegal UXO Scraping Operation

Yandina, Solomon Islands three people were killed including a child and two adults when a UXO item exploded during an illegal munitions dismantling effort. Two other children nearby were critically injured in the blast and had to be taken to the local hospital. The two adults were reportedly attempting to extract the explosives out of WWII era UXO when one of them exploded. Local police responding to the incident reported that the two adults were boiling the UXO in hot water to melt the explosives out so that it could then be used for fishing. The use of explosive in fishing known as "dynamite fishing" is an illegal practice where explosives are used to kill and stun fish in an area which are then scoped up with a net.

Police reported that the group successfully boiled the explosives out of five UXO items and another three were still found in the water kettle. A local resident reported who witnessed the incident told police that the explosion occurred when one of the adults was "fiddling with" the UXO the water kettle.