Gattaran, Cagayan, Philippians Four rusty Japanese cartridge 81 high explosive mortars and a vintage bomb, all classified as UXO, were found in two separate locations in Gatarran in one day. The Cagayan Police Provincial Office (CPPO) reported that joint personnel of Gattaran Police Station led by its chief, Major Ronald M Balod, Cagayan Provincial EOD and K9 Unit led by Lieutenant Danilo Belnas and 2nd Maneuver Force Platoon, 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company safely removed the Japanese ordnance from a vacant lot. They also reported the discovery of a vintage bomb (exact identification not noted in the statement) in an abandoned house in Gattaran.

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How the Schonstedt Humanitarian Demining Initiative is Helping to Save Lives Worldwide:

Kearneysville, West Virginia In collaboration with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), four Magnetic Locators from Schonstedt Instrument Company have deployed to Somalia, approximately 6 miles north of the nation's capital, Mogadishu, to locate explosive remnants of war (ERW).

About the Site:

The Daynile district, located in the Banaadir region of Somalia, encompasses the northern outskirts of the nation's capital, Mogadishu. Approximately 6 miles north of the central part of Mogadishu also lies a former ammunition storage site.

At the site, most ammunition bunkers were destroyed, and some of them collapsed inward, leaving approximately 98 acres of land (400,000 m2) contaminated with explosive hazards. Located near an airstrip, the site may also become a relocation site for Internally Displaced Persons.

Initial clearance operations cleared more than 20,300 ERW, but additional ERW likely remain buried beneath the collapsed bunkers and surrounding areas. With UNMAS-supported demining teams conducting further clearance operations, Schonstedt GA-72Cd Magnetic Locators will aid in the detection and clearance of remaining ERW and other UXO (Unexploded Ordnance).

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Solomon Islands New Zealand's Defense Force (NZDF) deployed 21 EOD Technicians to Solomon Islands to aid in the removal of WWII era UXO. The two week deployment will focus on reconnaissance and removal on the island of Kohingo.

NZDF will be assisting both Australian Defense Force and Royal Solomon Islands Police Force personnel in both and land and underwater operations.

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Swansea, Wales EOD Technicians from the Royal Navy cleared a former range area off the Gower Peninsula as part of a 60-year mission to clear the Welsh countryside of UXO.

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Samburu, Kenya Local residents of Ndonyo Nanga in Samburu East are demanding the Kenya Defence Force clear UXO from an 8,000 acre training area after two children were killed and third serious injured when they encountered UXO. According to a village elder, the rain has caused UXO to wash downstream exposing residents who use the are for livestock grazing.

The elder also stated that the children are particularly at risk since they usually play with the colorful bombs. He further explained that "Children, women and livestock are the most prone to the explosives since our people keep on moving around. Sometimes you find they have built structures where some of the explosives are buried by soil."

The Kenya Defence Force have not officially commented on the request.

London, United Kingdom In a recent interview, officials from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) warned the public "that if they inadvertently disturb what they believe to be live ordnance, they contact their local police force as a matter of urgency." The warning was issued due to the recent growth of magnet fishing (trawling for metal objects in the water) throughout the United Kingdom, fueled in part by social media.

As people post pictures of interesting items they have found while magnet fishing such as old knives, guns, and UXO, more and more people are taking up the hobby and upgrading the size and strengths of magnets used in the process. Reportedly, it was a strong magnet that pulled two men into the water causing them to drown. Others are lured into the hobby as way to make extra money by recycling scrap metal.

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Formby, United Kingdom An area slated for development of 97 housing units next spring is suspected of containing UXO. Concerns over the UXO were raised after historical records reviewed from the 1940s indicated that two bombs fell in the area in 1941 that did not explode. The historic records indicated that the two UXO items were "abandoned", as opposed to exploded or removed as indicated for other UXO items that fell in the area.

A copy of one of the archival records is shown below.

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Hong Kong, China Construction workers in Hong Kong were shocked to unearth a 1,000-pound WWII-era bomb. The senior bomb disposal officer on scene, Tony Chow Shek-kin, said that he believes the bomb was American made, and was most likely dropped into Hong Kong during the Japanese occupation of the city during the war.

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Northamptonshire, England Work is beginning to remove munitions from a play area near the Weedon Barracks. The munitions, discovered in July 2016, are believed to be in excess of 6,600 tons. The area near the playing field is known to house WWII ordnance, most commonly German munitions. Despite the large scope of the project, the team removing the UXO hopes to have the area cleared by February, 2018.

Vientiane, Laos On a recent visit to the Laos, President Obama pledged $90M in a joint three-year project with the Lao Government to clear UXO left over from U.S. bombing campaigns during the Vietnam era.

In his speech to the people of Laos, President Obama stated - "The remnants of war continue to shatter lives here in Laos." "Many of the bombs dropped never exploded. Over the years thousands of Laotians have been killed or injured, farmers tending fields, children playing. The wounds, a missing leg or arm, last a lifetime. That's why I've dramatically increased or funding to remove these unexploded bombs."

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