PHNOM PENH, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Four people were seriously wounded when an old unexploded bomb went off in northwestern Cambodia, the National Police reported on Thursday.

The blast happened in Veal Veng district of Pursat province late Wednesday afternoon when they picked up the unknown bomb from a nearby forest and brought it to play at home.

"The bomb exploded while they hurled it several times, leaving four people seriously injured," the National Police said, adding that all of the victims are males, aged between 10 and 22 years.

The ill-fated people had been rushed to the Pursat Provincial Referral Hospital, the Police said, adding that the bomb was left from the war time.

Regional and internal conflicts from the 1960s to late 1998 had left Cambodia as one of the most mine and explosive remnants of war affected countries in the world. An estimated 4 to 6 million landmines and other munitions were left over from the almost three decades of war.

According to government figures, from 1979 to June 2020, landmine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) explosions had killed 19,789 people and either injured or amputated 45,102 others.

Ly Thuch, first vice president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority, has said that the Southeast Asian nation is committed to clearing all types of landmines and UXOs in the kingdom by 2025 and to achieve this, it is seeking a total budget of 377 million U.S. dollars from development partners. Enditem

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