Laos & The Bombs

Between 1964 and 1973, Laos endured nearly 600,000 American bombing missions — one bomb every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years. In total, 2.1 million tonnes of bombs were dropped on the country, including 270 million cluster munitions known locally as bombies. Nearly 30% never exploded. The province of Salavan, crossed by the Ho Chi Minh Trail, was among the hardest hit. In some villages, old bombs recycled into flower pots or fence posts stand as silent witnesses to a past still very much present. Since 1973, these devices have caused more than 50,000 casualties. With 7 million inhabitants and 40 tonnes of bombs per square kilometre, Laos remains the most bombed country in the world per capita. More than fifty years later, specialist teams continue to clear the land — so that people can simply farm their fields.