Mortar Shell Found & Safely Detonated At Menora Tunnel Along North-South Expressway
The origins of the ordnance are currently unknown.
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A mortar shell was found near the Menora Tunnel along the North-South Expressway on Monday morning, 30 June
According to Sinar Daily, the ordnance was found among vegetation by a 51-year-old contract worker who had been doing landscaping work near the area around 9.30am.
The object was subsequently examined by a team from Perak police, including the Bomb Disposal Unit (UPB), which confirmed it as an 81-mm mortal shell.
Police then safely detonated the bomb, with the blast radius reportedly reaching up to 200m. The procedure, which involved electrical detonation, took about an hour.
Following the bomb's discovery, the Kuala Kangsar-Ipoh stretch of highway was closed in both directions as a safety precaution.
The resulting road closure caused a 15km-long congestion on the PLUS highway
Speaking to Harian Metro, Perak police chief Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin confirmed that the route is now safe.
The origins of the unexploded ordnance are currently unknown.
What is unexploded ordnance?
This refers to explosive weapons — usually artillery shells, air-dropped bombs, grenades, or land mines — that fail to detonate as intended. They are also referred to as "dud" explosives.
However, just because they fail to properly detonate does not mean they cannot explode if disturbed. Unexploded ordnance can pose a serious hazard years, if not decades, after their use.
Countries that were subject to intensive bombing campaigns such as Laos, Cambodia, and Afghanistan are particularly vulnerable to unexploded ordnance, which can hinder development for years during peacetime, according to the United Nations Development Programme.
Even bombs from World War I fired in Europe over a century ago are still dangerous, and they are removed every year in an event called an iron harvest.
