A local man examines the bombshell, now used as a prayer bell in rural Laos.
From 1964 to 1973, American bombers dropped over two million tons of bombs on rural areas of Laos, a fiery sideshow to the conflict in Vietnam. About 700 lbs of bombs were dropped for every man, woman and child in Laos.
Here’s a detail of the writing on the bomb.
Some of these bombs failed to detonate on impact but are still active, and continue to kill and maim civilians today.