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HONIARA: Two bomb disposal experts from Britain and Australia were killed in the Solomon Islands when World War II artillery they were helping to clear exploded, officials said Monday (Sept. 21).
Police said the blast took place Sunday afternoon in the Pacific Island nation’s capital, Honiara, and the two foreigners died after being taken to hospital.
The Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) charity, which is compiling a database of unexploded ordnance in the Solomon Islands, confirmed that two of its workers were killed.
He named them after British citizen Stephen “Luke” Atkinson and Australian citizen Trent Lee.
“This is a tragic accident. So far, we know that there has been an explosion with fatal consequences,” NPA said in a statement.
“Our main priority now is to offer assistance to family and colleagues, and to clarify what happened.”
NPA said its activities in the Solomon Islands had been temporarily suspended while the “devastating” explosion was being investigated.
“The investigation must be completed before a conclusion can be reached on the cause of the events,” he said.
The Solomon Islands were the scene of fierce fighting between the Allied and Japanese forces in World War II and when the conflict ended, large quantities of projectiles, land mines and other munitions were abandoned.
NPA was working with the Solomon Islands Police to study the extent of the problem and develop a nationwide collection program.
The charity said on its website that the Solomon Islands was still heavily contaminated by unexploded ordnance, which not only posed an explosion hazard, but had also often degraded after 75 years, leaching harmful chemicals into the environment.
“Ammunition from the conflict continues to kill or seriously injure the local population and is used for destructive fishing practices,” he said.
“Explosive weapons are often found on city construction sites, coral reefs, farms, forests, and suburban gardens where children sometimes find and play with them.”
