Vintage bomb found at barangay hall in Laoag City

A vintage bomb, which was mistakenly used as a decoration for years, was retrieved by police and villagers at the Barangay 43-Cavit hall in Laoag City. (Photo courtesy of Ilocos Norte Provincial Police Office.)

LAOAG CITY –– Police and villagers recovered on Monday, Jan. 18, a vintage bomb that was partly buried in front of a barangay hall here.

For years, the vintage bomb was mistakenly used as a scrap metal decoration at the Barangay 43-Cavit hall here, according to barangay captain Jerry Alonzo during a radio interview.

The vintage bomb, identified as a general-purpose type, was immediately turned over to the explosive ordnance disposal unit of the Ilocos Norte provincial police for custody and disposal, said Lt. Col. Rafael Lero, Laoag police chief.

Despite being old, the recovered general-purpose bomb could still explode if improperly handled and could wipe out a barangay site, Lero said.

Village officials also reported that they identified another vintage bomb earlier buried in another area of the barangay hall.

Lero said the other explosive would be turned over to authorities once dug up by the village officials.

Photo attached.

LZB