24 Dec 2009

Solomons police warn of volatility of old World War Two explosives

2:57 pm on 24 December 2009

Solomon Islands police have reiterated a plea for people not to touch any old bombs they find.

This comes after three people were killed last weekend when they tried to extract the explosive material from World War Two bombs they found at Yandina in the Russell Islands.

Two others were injured in the explosion.

The Solomons Police Commissioner, Peter Marshall, says the country is littered with the old bombs and people continue to try and extract the explosive material to make dynamite for fishing.

He says for years they have been trying to convince people to leave any such ordnance for trained police to dispose of.

"Everyday unfortunately we find that people come across them, treat them in different ways, sometimes they load them in the back of cars and bring them down to the police station and the next minute the constable is dealing with them over the public counter. But, by and large, the public is starting to get the message but in these remote areas, particularly young children, the message still hasn't got through, but the message is, clearly don't go anywhere near them. They are highly volatile and with the passage of sixty years, they are very tender to deal with, shall we say."