February 16, 2007 (Lunar New Year�s Eve) � Phong Xuan commune, Phong Dien district, Hue. M79 Grenade
It was 2 p.m. when Buu, a 10 years old boy went herding his cows in the hill. Buu was the smallest member in the family of two parents and three siblings. Thus, it was reasonable for him to look after the cows while other members were busy with cleaning the house and preparing the New Year�s Eve ceremony. Up a slope he met Tinh, who was 6 years older than his also took his cows out for some grass. There were only two boys and the cows in the quiet surroundings in the very last hours of the year.
The afternoon passed. At 5 p.m. the boys decided to take their cows back to the village. The cows followed one another heading down hill. Two boys walked along in a near distance. Suddenly, Tinh saw something reflected the bright sunlight. He came closer and saw an M79 warhead semi-buried right on the path. He knew what the item was and that it could explode if their cows stepped on it. In prevention, he urged the smaller boy to direct the cows off the path. The boy jumped up and down but the cows ignored him. Seeing all that, Tinh looked around and saw a large rock. He picked it up and threw it at the cows as a threat. Unfortunately, the rock made an unexpected direct landing right on the warhead.
The blast sent back it fragments and injured both boys. Tinh was the worst: one large fragment penetrated into his lung. His legs, hands were badly injured with sharp cuts.
The boys were immediately taken to the commune station for first aids and by 10 p.m. were forwarded to Hue central hospital. The accident had ruined the two families traditional New Year�s Eve.
As of today, the boys are recovering from the wounds and both are expected to be released from the hospital soon.
February 19, 2007 (the 3rd day of the New Year) � Vinh Tu commune, Vinh Linh district, Quang Tri province, Cluster Bomb.
While herding cows in the morning of February 19, 2007, Son, a 14 year old boy, happened to see one half of a cluster bomb by a small bush. He picked it up and called his friend, Cong to come have a look. Two boys passed the round to and from each other for examination.
Both Son and Cong knew what cluster bombs are since they�ve seen many before. However, this was the first time they found one half of a bomb: a hemisphere, not a complete steel sphere. They could see the yellow TNT exposed and a round metal section at the center of the explosive. After examining, the boys decided to light up the TNT just to see how it burn.
Because none of them had any lighter, they took the hemisphere to a neighbor man, who was also looking after his cows near by to borrow his lighter. The man refused their request with a warning and got back to his work. Being disappointed, Son walked away and sat on a pile of logs under a shade of a tree. Cong followed several meters behind, still holding the hemisphere in his hand.
Two boys soon became not anymore interested in the thing they found. Thus, as Cong was approaching he asked his friend whether he want to take it. Son looked up with no reply. At a distance of 2 meters, Cong tossed the hemisphere to Son. The seated boy looked at it but instead of catching it with his hand, he let it go. The bomb made a free landing on one of the logs with an explosion.
The blast injured both boys especially Son. They were immediately taken to the Quang Tri general hospital by an ambulance but Son did not make it. He died shortly at the hospital due to severe injuries in his skull. Cong was released from the hospital 2 days later with two tiny fragments still in the soft tissue of his thigh.
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