[xtypo_dropcap]A[/xtypo_dropcap] 1,000-pound World War II bomb killed three people and injured six in Goettingen, Germany, on Tuesday.
The bomb was unearthed during construction of a sports stadium, and exploded an hour before it was to be defused, killing the three experienced bomb technicians on-site, BBC reported. More than 7,000 people were evacuated after the bomb was discovered.
Bombs like the one that detonated in Germany this week are known as “unexploded ordnances” (UXOs), which are explosive weapons that have been dropped or launched but failed to detonate or were left behind. Many UXOs are left behind during military training.
The likelihood of UXOs detonating is highly unpredictable, as some explode after being moved, while others do not, according to a report by Landmine Action. How sensitive they are depends on several factors, including the UXO’s fusing mechanisms, the amount of corrosion, and the method of arming.
A large amount of ammunition used in wars like World War I and World War II failed to operate, leading to high levels of UXO contamination in areas of Europe and the Asia Pacific Rim, Margaret Busé said in a report submitted to the Journal of Mine Action.
Specialists estimate 30 percent of ammunitions used in WWI and WWII failed to explode, according to Busé. WWII belligerent nations like the United Kingdom and Germany are littered with malfunctioned bombs.
In the Asia Pacific, many islands were bombarded with explosives during WWII, with a dud rate as high as 25 percent. Busé reported that Saipan, an island near Guam, was a key battleground during the conflicts in the Asia Pacific in WWII. The number of UXOs there are so numerous that clearing activities are stalled due to the high costs of the project.
During the Vietnam War, Laos was heavily hit by bombs. At the height of the war, more than 2 million tons of explosive weapons were dropped and up to a third of them failed to explode, according to World Education. In Laos, at least 13,000 were injured or killed by landmines and UXOs between 1973 to 2007.
Explosive ammunition is also widely used today in places rife with conflict, such as in Kosovo, Chad, and Somalia. In Kosovo alone, 160 people were injured and 56 killed by UXOs from June 1999 to May 2001 according to Landmine Action. The data revealed that a higher number of people died from UXO explosions than landmines.
Oftentimes, UXOs are triggered when people tamper with them—either by moving them to continue farming, or when young children play with them out of curiosity. World Education reported that nearly half of all UXO victims are children.
Landmine Action states that many people are also killed as a result of passing by or standing near the UXO explosion. Sub-surface UXOs are often triggered by accidental contact through activities such as plowing.
The presence of UXOs can also have detrimental effects on the local economy when people cannot use the land for agriculture or the construction of buildings. Particularly in areas where land cultivation is a primary part of the economy, the unusable land can drive a family into poverty.
Worldwide, there are more than 70 states that are affected by landmines and “explosive remnants of war,” according to the United Nations Mine Action Services. Globally in 2008, there were just under 5,200 recorded casualties as a result of UXO and landmine explosions.
In the past, humanitarian groups including the United Nations Mine Action Services and International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) have worked to clear the world of landmines and UXOs.
Mine Action offers many services, including the removal of landmines and UXOs, educating civilians of their risks, fencing off areas of contamination, and providing medical assistance to those affected by landmines and UXO explosions. ICBL was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for their work in making the 1997 International Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty a reality.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also conducted research on UXO impact and created programs “to reduce UXO/mine related casualties among children and others through a variety of communication, education, and health activities,” said UNICEF in a press release issued in 2002.
UNICEF is also designated as “the lead U.N. agency for UXO and mine risk education and awareness” by the United Nations General Assembly.
Before the involvement of humanitarian groups, military branches were primarily responsible for the clearance of UXOs. However, it was difficult to accomplish with the large area of land that was implicated, especially when many countries were in economic trouble after the end of the two world wars, reported Margaret Busé.
Today, the clearing process is still very difficult. In the U.K. for example, areas used for training were not recorded and are unknown. In these cases, UXOs are only dealt with after they are reported by civilians.
Today, UXO clearance has improved with the help of “humanitarian clearance operations,” that are deployed shortly after violence in an area has ended, said Busé.
The bomb was unearthed during construction of a sports stadium, and exploded an hour before it was to be defused, killing the three experienced bomb technicians on-site, BBC reported. More than 7,000 people were evacuated after the bomb was discovered.
Bombs like the one that detonated in Germany this week are known as “unexploded ordnances” (UXOs), which are explosive weapons that have been dropped or launched but failed to detonate or were left behind. Many UXOs are left behind during military training.
The likelihood of UXOs detonating is highly unpredictable, as some explode after being moved, while others do not, according to a report by Landmine Action. How sensitive they are depends on several factors, including the UXO’s fusing mechanisms, the amount of corrosion, and the method of arming.
A large amount of ammunition used in wars like World War I and World War II failed to operate, leading to high levels of UXO contamination in areas of Europe and the Asia Pacific Rim, Margaret Busé said in a report submitted to the Journal of Mine Action.
Specialists estimate 30 percent of ammunitions used in WWI and WWII failed to explode, according to Busé. WWII belligerent nations like the United Kingdom and Germany are littered with malfunctioned bombs.
In the Asia Pacific, many islands were bombarded with explosives during WWII, with a dud rate as high as 25 percent. Busé reported that Saipan, an island near Guam, was a key battleground during the conflicts in the Asia Pacific in WWII. The number of UXOs there are so numerous that clearing activities are stalled due to the high costs of the project.
During the Vietnam War, Laos was heavily hit by bombs. At the height of the war, more than 2 million tons of explosive weapons were dropped and up to a third of them failed to explode, according to World Education. In Laos, at least 13,000 were injured or killed by landmines and UXOs between 1973 to 2007.
Explosive ammunition is also widely used today in places rife with conflict, such as in Kosovo, Chad, and Somalia. In Kosovo alone, 160 people were injured and 56 killed by UXOs from June 1999 to May 2001 according to Landmine Action. The data revealed that a higher number of people died from UXO explosions than landmines.
Oftentimes, UXOs are triggered when people tamper with them—either by moving them to continue farming, or when young children play with them out of curiosity. World Education reported that nearly half of all UXO victims are children.
Landmine Action states that many people are also killed as a result of passing by or standing near the UXO explosion. Sub-surface UXOs are often triggered by accidental contact through activities such as plowing.
The presence of UXOs can also have detrimental effects on the local economy when people cannot use the land for agriculture or the construction of buildings. Particularly in areas where land cultivation is a primary part of the economy, the unusable land can drive a family into poverty.
Worldwide, there are more than 70 states that are affected by landmines and “explosive remnants of war,” according to the United Nations Mine Action Services. Globally in 2008, there were just under 5,200 recorded casualties as a result of UXO and landmine explosions.
In the past, humanitarian groups including the United Nations Mine Action Services and International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) have worked to clear the world of landmines and UXOs.
Mine Action offers many services, including the removal of landmines and UXOs, educating civilians of their risks, fencing off areas of contamination, and providing medical assistance to those affected by landmines and UXO explosions. ICBL was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for their work in making the 1997 International Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty a reality.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also conducted research on UXO impact and created programs “to reduce UXO/mine related casualties among children and others through a variety of communication, education, and health activities,” said UNICEF in a press release issued in 2002.
UNICEF is also designated as “the lead U.N. agency for UXO and mine risk education and awareness” by the United Nations General Assembly.
Before the involvement of humanitarian groups, military branches were primarily responsible for the clearance of UXOs. However, it was difficult to accomplish with the large area of land that was implicated, especially when many countries were in economic trouble after the end of the two world wars, reported Margaret Busé.
Today, the clearing process is still very difficult. In the U.K. for example, areas used for training were not recorded and are unknown. In these cases, UXOs are only dealt with after they are reported by civilians.
Today, UXO clearance has improved with the help of “humanitarian clearance operations,” that are deployed shortly after violence in an area has ended, said Busé.
Friends Read Free