Lengakiki and Townground areas not safe, littered with WWII unexploded ordnance
BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
The Lengakiki – Townground area is reportedly high risk in terms of World War II explosives buried about.
The capital – Honiara – was once a battlefield of the Guadalcanal Campaign of WWII, and unexploded ordnance (UXO) are buried all over the city.
Safe Signal UXO Threat Solution Solomon Islands issued an awareness alert after the WWII UXO explosion incident near Town Ground Rugby Stadium in West Honiara area on Thursday night.
A young man sustained injuries and was rushed to the National Referral Hospital. The victim is receiving treatment. The RSIPF Explosive Ordnance Department confirmed the UXO detonated due to fire.
Following the incident, the Safe Signal UXO Threat Solution SI said that the Town Ground area is not safe based on their recent UXO operation in the site.
“During our recent operation, Safe Signal discovered several (UXO) behind the Bmobile area. Please note that Safe Signal only cleared this specific location, other nearby areas have not been cleared and may still contain dangerous UXO,” Safe signal UXO threat Solution SI said.
The group said that these UXO can look like root crops such as yam or cassava, making them very dangerous if touched or mistaken for something harmless.
They said that lighting fires near areas that may contain UXO is extremely dangerous and heat from fire can trigger an explosion, putting lives at serious risk.
The group also issued an UXO awareness on the Town Ground & Lengakiki (Hill 84) after the Thursday night accident.
“After today’s (Thursday) UXO accident, we’ve noticed something important. Both the Town Ground and Lengakiki incidents happened within the same area. Historical records from the Battle of Guadalcanal show that Lengakiki hill was known as Hill 84 by the U.S. military.
“During our UXO clearance operations, we have discovered a large number of unexploded ordnance (UXO), especially behind the Bmobile building at Town Ground, and even some war relics within the SIBC compound in Rove,” the organisation said.
The group said that the entire stretch from Rove to Town Ground was later used by US forces as a base during World War II.
“This means the area was heavily used in wartime and, even decades later, UXO still poses a serious risk. Safety reminders: do not touch any suspicious objects, report any UXO to authorities immediately, be extra careful during construction, digging, or groundworks. Note: During SAFE SIGNALS UXO Threat Solutions SI UXO clearance, all of these UXOs were found to be live bombs behind the BMobile office, Town Ground,” Safe Signal UXO threat Solution SI said.
Photo: Supplied
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