Vietnam War shell explodes, killing 2 fishermen

HANOI, Vietnam - An official says a Vietnam War-era artillery shell has exploded and killed two fishermen who were cutting it up for scrap metal in southern Vietnam.

Cam Binh village chief Tran Van Hoa said Thursday that the two men aged 24 and 25 had collected the 155-milimeter shell from waters near a former U.S. naval base. Another fisherman was wounded in Tuesday's explosion.

Vietnamese government figures show unexploded ordnance has killed more than 42,000 people and wounded some 62,000 since the conflict ended in 1975.