War-era shell kills four Vietnamese children, injures others

HANOI (AFP) - A shell from the Vietnam War killed four children and seriously injured four other villagers when it exploded at a family party, police said on Monday.

The children, a girl and three boys aged between four and 11-years-old, died on Sunday after finding the unexploded shell while they played in a garden, according to police officer Luong Van Tri.

Four others - two men and two children aged five and 12 - were seriously wounded in the blast which occurred in Vinh Long province, he added.

"The owner of the house found the US-made 81-mm shell several years ago. He left it next to bamboo trees in his backyard garden without reporting it to authorities," Tri told AFP.