Over 1.9 million unexploded ordnance (UXO) devices have been cleared from 87,323 hectares of land from 1996 to March 2024, preventing residents from being injured or killed and making land safe for Laos' socio-economic development.

The figures were announced during an event held on Monday in northern Laos' Luang Prabang province to mark the 19th International Day for UXO/Mine Awareness, Lao national TV reported on Wednesday.

About 50 percent of the victims of unexploded bombs have been children. Since the beginning of 2024, 10 bomb explosions have been accidentally triggered, injuring 21 people, including 12 children aged 5 to 16.

From 2015 to March 2024, assistance was provided to 2,846 victims of UXO-related accidents.

Local and central authorities, with the support of international organizations, have formulated a national plan, "Road to Security III", to address UXO in Laos.

Laos is the most heavily bombed country in the world in terms of per capita. Throughout 1964 to 1973, over 2 million tons of ordnance were dropped on Laos, of which 30 percent failed to explode.

Over 270 million cluster munitions were dropped from U.S. warplanes, leaving an estimated 80 million live bomblets scattered and buried around the Southeast Asian country.

(Cover: Farmers tend their fields in Luang Prabang, Laos, April 4, 2024. /CFP)