6 Die in Vietnam While Sawing Off Leftover Mortar Shell

A woman cycles past one of the many banners depicting the Vietnamese flag, November 2016 in the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

HANOI — Six people including four children in a family have been killed when a Vietnam War-era mortar shell they were sawing for scrap metal exploded.

State-run Tuoi Tre newspaper says the victims died on the spot following the explosion in south-central province of Khanh Hoa on Friday.

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The blast also seriously injured the father of one of the victims. The report says the family had collected the mortar shell from a coffee plantation.

Police in Khanh Hoa province were not available for comment Saturday.

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According to government figures, more than 40,000 people have been killed and some 60,000 others were injured by unexploded ordnance since the end of the war in 1975.